An Unnatural Naming Day
by Repicheep22
Summary: An Unnatural Series of Events Vol. 3 - Some eighty years after leaving their village, two Ice Toa are returning to spend Naming Day with their old team. Their ship springs a leak, and they dock for repairs, just in time for things to go horribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

The surf of the Zeriko Sea broke against the sides of the merchant vessel as it plowed through the waves. At the prow of the ship, a lone Toa stood, taking in the cold salty air. Icicles clung to the railing as his breath turned to fog, before being flung backwards by the wind. The sound of footsteps behind him caused him to turn his head. He smiled as he saw his fellow Toa of Ice approaching.

"Hello there, Tsonclad," said the new arrival, "enjoying the sights?"

"More like the sounds 'n smells, ma friend," he replied. "There ain't much tae see oot there right now." He sighed, "Ah love this time o' year. Reminds meh o' when Ah was a wee Matoran back in the Northern Mountains. Winter's a bonny season. Don't ye agree, Taiyu?"

The other Toa of Ice leaned against the railing. His eyes appeared dead as he took a deep breath. He turned an unseeing gaze towards his friend.

"I do," he replied.

The blind Toa turned back to the sea to catch the wind in his face again. After a moment, he spoke again.

"Won't it be great to see the old team again?" he said, a smile crossing his face.

"Ah'll say," replied Tsonclad. "How long's it been? Eighty years?"

"Almost," said Taiyu. After a moment, he asked, "Do you ever regret leaving Algerin?"

"Not in the slightest," said Tsonclad. "Sure Ah miss the others, but we've had some good times and had some great adventures, though I could've done withoot that last one." He shuddered. "All those shapeshiftin' Shivri, urgh!"

"What's so bad about them? The emissaries seemed nice enough."

"Oh sure, escortin' a pair o' the blighters is one thing, but a whole island of 'em? The whole idea of changing shape at will gives meh the jitters."

"Ahoy!" came a call from further back on the ship.

The pair turned to see the Aquaton captain hailing them from the helm.

Taiyu and Tsonclad made their way back to the captain.

"Yes sir," said Taiyu, "what can we do for you?"

"Well, I've been thinkin'," Captain Devichon replied. "What with the two of you being Ice Toa, and the Nor'western Sea havin' more icebergs than ya can throw a disk at, I was wonderin' if the pair o' ya could keep an eye out fer – er, um, keep 'em away from the ship." The captain looked at Taiyu with an embarrassed look on his face.

Taiyu chuckled. "It's alright, sir. I'm not that easily offended."

"Oh alright, so if ya don't mind –"

Suddenly, the boat jolted, throwing the three of them to the deck.

"All hands on deck!" called the captain.

A dozen crew members clambered out of the hold.

"Captain!" cried a Vonatii crew member, "we've hit a reef. Water's pouring into the hold!"

"You two!" the captain pointed to the two Ice Toa. "Get down into the hold and freeze that hole shut."

"Aye aye captain!" exclaimed the two.

Taiyu and Tsonclad rushed into the hold, summoning their elemental energies as they went. They reached the cargo hold to find water up to their ankles. Tsonclad thrust his sword into the water, as Taiyu channeled his energy through his feet. The water turned to crystal in an expanding wave, freezing the waves on its surface in place. Sensing through the ice, Taiyu held up his hand when their energies reached the hole, signaling his brother to stop.

"You go see what the captain wants us to do," said Taiyu. "I'll keep an eye on this."

Tsonclad nodded as he freed himself from the ice and made his way to the deck. Upon seeing him, the captain let out a sigh of relief.

"Wha' do we do now, captain?" asked Tsonclad. "Mah brother's keepin' an eye on yon breech."

"Good, good," said the captain. "From what the crew described, that reef made a pretty substantial hole in the hull. We'll have to stop for repairs."

"The nearest island isn't too far away, captain," said the crew's navigator.

"Good, when can we be there?"

The navigator checked his charts. "We should be there by sundown."

By the time the damaged ship pulled into the bay, dusk was falling over the ocean. The area was largely empty as the crew jumped to the docks to tie down the ship. As they were securing the ship, Tsonclad noticed a pair of beings approaching them, a Toa and a Turaga.

"Greetings travelers," said the Turaga, "and welcome to Tedra Nui."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

"Greetings travelers," said the Turaga, "and welcome to Tedra Nui. I am Turaga Uren, and this is Toa Onric, leader of this island's defenders."

"A pleasure tae meet ye," said Tsonclad. "Mah name's Tsonclad, but 'tis mah guess ye want tae talk tae the captain. Follow meh."

The trio made their way onto the deck and Uren went to speak to the captain.

"It's not often we get visiting Toa," said Onric. "What brings you here?"

"Oor ship hit a reef," replied Tsonclad. "We had tae stop for repairs."

At that moment, Taiyu appeared on deck with a large crate, deactivating his Mask of Intangibility as he settled on deck.

"Taiyu, over here," called Tsonclad. "Onric," he said as the other Toa approached, "this is mah brother Taiyu. Taiyu, this is Onric. He's the leader of the Toa here."

"A pleasure," said Taiyu, extending his fist.

Onric returned the gesture before noticing the dead stare in the Toa's eyes.

"Are – are you…" he stuttered.

"Yes, I'm blind," chuckled Taiyu. "Don't be so concerned," he said, "I can get around just fine."

"Mah brother has developed some unique methods of compensation for his impediment," replied Tsonclad.

"I'd love to stay and tell you all about them," said Taiyu, "but the two of us have duties on this ship."

"Certainly," replied Onric. "What do you say you join my team and I this evening for dinner? We can swap tales then."

"A bonny idea," replied Tsonclad. "'Tis been a long while since we told tales with other Toa."

Later that night, the two Ice Toa were sitting in the common room of the Tedra Inn, awaiting the other Toa.

"Think there are any lasses among 'em?" wondered Tsonclad.

Taiyu spit out his drink in surprise. "What!" he laughed.

"Ah'm just foolin'" said Tsonclad, "and if'n there are any, they're probably already taken."

As if on cue, a Toa of Lightning entered the room. Tsonclad waved to her, and she approached the pair.

"So you're the visiting Toa," she said.

"That we are, mah lady," said Tsonclad, extending his fist. "Ah'm Tsonclad, and this is mah brother Taiyu."

"The blind one?" she asked, clacking their fists.

"That I am," replied Taiyu, "and what might your name be?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Lestra. So, what brings you to our island?" she asked as she sat down.

"Well we –" Tsonclad began, but stopped as another being entered the room, a Skakdi.

As the being approached the table, Tsonclad stood up and drew his sword, a scowl on his face.

"Listen Skakdi," he said, "Ah don't know why ye're here, but get the Karzahni oot afore Ah freeze ye solid."

His concentration was shattered by Lestra giggling.

"I appreciate your concern, Tsonclad," she said, "but this Skakdi is a member of our team. And, he's my Vhalentain."

Tsonclad's mouth fell open as the Skakdi sat down and the Toa of Lightning kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm Cedrak," he said, "pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," said Taiyu, bumping fists with the Skakdi.

He turned to Tsonclad, who still had a suspicious look on his face.

"Tsonclad, come on, you've befriended a Makuta," he said. "A Skakdi is a bit more reasonable."

Tsonclad chuckled and smiled.

"Right ye are, brother," he said as he bumped fists with the Skakdi.

Three other Toa entered then.

"Onric," called Tsonclad, and the Toa approached the growing group.

"Brothers," said the Fire Toa, "these are Tsonclad and Taiyu. And these," he motioned to his brothers, "are Tivari and Koth."

"It's been a long time since we had an Ice Toa on Tedra Nui," said Koth, a sudden downcast expression crossing his face.

Taiyu's eyebrow quirked upward.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

Onric sighed. "A long time ago," he said, "we had two other team members, a Toa of Ice and a Toa of Air. They left on a mission and never came back."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Taiyu.

After a moment, Cedrak spoke up. "Well, no point moping about the past. So tell me, what did you mean when you said you befriended a Makuta?"


	3. Chapter 3

With a final wave goodbye, the Toa Tedra left the inn, leaving the other Toa to their beds. Koth shot off like a phase dragon, wanting to get home and rest. Onric and Tivari said goodbye to the others and went their separate ways. Cedrak turned to leave as well, until Lestra grabbed his arm.

"Walk me home?" she asked. "It's such a pretty night."

The Skakdi smiled. "Sure thing, my little lightning bug."

Lestra's face dropped in mock offence. "You know I hate when you call me that."

"But you're so cute when you're flustered," replied Cedrak, taking her hand.

Lestra giggled and leaned on his shoulder as the pair strolled down the street. The town was quiet at this time of night, and the stars shone brightly in the crisp winter air.

Lestra sighed. "Can you believe Naming Day is next week?" she asked.

"Hard to believe it's already here," Cedrak replied.

"It's a shame though."

"What?"

"Naming Day is always so much better with snow on the ground," Lestra sighed, "but with the weather we've been having, it doesn't look like snow any time soon."

Cedrak said nothing as they continued walking, gazing up at the stars.

Upon reaching her home, they shared kiss and said their goodbyes.

"Don't forget," he said. "We have to go check on the outposts tomorrow. So, I'll come get you bright and early."

"Until then," she kissed him once more and disappeared into her house.

Cedrak smiled and sighed as he turned towards his home.

"Mata Nui! I love that girl," he thought.

As he walked, he stared up at the stars again.

"She's always been so sentimental about Naming Day," he thought. "I hope she likes my present." He chuckled to himself.

A few weeks earlier, the Skakdi and Onric had escorted Turaga Uren to a council on the continent, and while there, the pair had done some Naming Day shopping. He remembered when they stopped by a particular shop.

* * *

A set of bells tinkled as Onric opened the door, allowing Cedrak time to enter before closing it behind him.

"Good day sir," said a voice.

The pair turned to see a Menirun managing the shelves. The Menirun were a continental race and known for having photographic memory and exceptional hand-eye coordination. Some could even reach a point at which they could duplicate any action simply by watching it.

"Can I help you today?" asked the clerk, as he balanced a precarious stack of boxes on his hand.

"Oh, just browsing for Naming Day gifts," said Onric.

"Well, you've come to de right place," replied the Menirun, setting his boxes down. "We've got –"

A loud crash was heard from the back of the store, causing the three beings to turn as one. Another Menirun rushed out of the back, stumbling over his own feet and knocking down a shelf.

"Perahal!" cried the clerk, rushing towards his downed comrade.

"Rhenton," gasped the other Menirun as he climbed onto his knees. "De king's –"

He stopped as he saw Onric standing there.

"Uh, de king's sent for some, uh, harakeke sauce," he stuttered. "We need to –"

"Okay, okay," said the clerk, as he snatched something from Perahal's hand.

He turned to Onric.

"Take this," he said.

He handed a small cloth-bound item to the Toa and ushered the pair towards the door.

"My condolences," he said, "I hope you can find somet'ing elsewhere, but I have to close up."

As he was almost shoved out of the door, Onric turned to see the Menirun pair pulled the shutters closed on their shop.

"What was that all about?" said Cedrak.

"I don't know," said Onric.

"So…what is that?" asked the Skakdi.

Onric slowly unwrapped the cloth to reveal a fist-sized crystal that seemed to glow with a light of its own.

"Wow," said Cedrak, "that's…beautiful."

"Here," said Onric, as he wrapped the crystal up and handed it to his friend, "give it to Lestra. She'll love it."

"Really, you sure?"

"Yeah, it's the least I can do."

Cedrak sighed. "Onric, I've told you already. You don't have to make up for what you did to me."

"I know, I know, I just...I killed you, Cedrak," Onric hung his head. "It's not something you can just brush under the rug."

Cedrak placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder.

"Listen, I'll take it, on one condition, that you stop beating yourself up. I hate seeing you like this. Please, for me, brother."

Onric looked up, a look of shock on his face. Cedrak pulled the Toa into a hug.

"I forgave you long ago, Onric," said the Skakdi. "Now you need to forgive yourself."

Onric's breath hitched slightly as he returned the gesture.

"Okay," he said, "I promise."

* * *

"To think," Cedrak muttered, as he continued down the streets, "it took getting Lestra a present to get Onric over what he did to me."

Cedrak paused at the door to his house. He looked up at the stars one last time, before entering his home. As he closed the door behind him, he heard a faint noise. He paused and drew his bow, while reaching for the lightstone on his desk.

As his hand wrapped around the stone, a sudden blow cracked over the back of his head, and as the stone filled the room with light, Cedrak was plunged into darkness.

The next morning, the Toa Tedra were gathered at the Inn with Turaga Uren and Captain Devichon.

"As I was tellin' yer Turaga, here," said the captain. "The help o' four more Toa would be much appreciated," said the captain.

"Oh, of course," replied Onric, "but we need to discuss the matter of payment."

"O' couse, m'lad. I wouldn't dream o' –"

The doors to the inn burst open, causing everyone to jump and turn. There was Lestra, standing in the doorway. As she came closer, the others could see that her face was drawn with an expression of despair.

"What's wrong, Lestra?" asked Tivari, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's Cedrak," she said, as tears ran down her face. "He's gone."


	4. Chapter 4

"Gone?" asked Koth. "What do you mean?"

"Would you excuse us, Captain?" asked Onric.

"Certainly, m'lad, don't want to see the lady with her armor in a knot," replied Devichon.

The Toa Tedra moved outside where Lestra told her story.

"He and I were going to check on the outposts this morning," replied Lestra, her voice hitching as tears ran down her face. "We were going to get up early and go, but when I woke up and saw daylight, I figured he'd let me rest. After a while, I went to see what was taking him so long, and when I got to his house, I saw his door had been knocked in. I ran in, and his place had been ransacked. I looked everywhere, but he's gone."

At that moment, Lestra burst into tears and leaned against Tivari's shoulder, who pulled her into a supportive hug.

Onric placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll go over there and see if we can find anything, okay?"

Lestra nodded slowly and followed her brothers out the door of the inn.

Devichon sighed.

"Well, might as well wake the boys," he said. "No sense in sittin' around on our butts waitin' fer them."

The Aquaton turned and strode up the stairs, his long tail swishing behind him. Striding down the hall, he pounded on the doors his crew was sleeping behind. Minutes later, his crew was assembled in the common room. Tsonclad came down the stairs, stretching as he yawned.

"Anyone seen Taiyu?" he asked. "He went fer a walk last night, and Ah didna see him afterwards."

"Ah, he'll show up," said Nianga, a Naxan crew member. "He's not one to shirk work."

"Alright lads," called Devichon, "get yer breakfast and meet at the ship in an hour. We'll get to work fixin' that 'ole."

Tsonclad sat down with the crew and ordered some breakfast, looking up every so often for his brother, but the blind Toa never showed up.

"Strange," he thought.

As the hour limit approached and the crew made their way to the boat, Tsonclad grew increasingly worried.

"Where on earth would 'e be?"

As the Toa turned a corner, he stopped, dumbstruck by the sight before him. Ice coated the buildings around; columns of ice stuck out of the ground. Tsonclad rushed towards the scene, the other crew following close behind.

"Taiyu was here," he thought, "and he was fighting someone."

He noticed something on the ground, a dark blue liquid.

"Nianga!"

The Naxan came running.

"What happened, Tsonclad?" she asked.

"Wha' is this?" asked the Toa of Ice, pointing to the liquid.

Nianga bend down and sniffed the liquid. She instantly recoiled, her nostrils scrunched in disgust.

"Vorzhic venom," she said. "I'd know that smell anywhere."

"Taiyu was here," said Tsonclad. "Ah'd know his style anywhere. And…Vorzhic…hmm, why would –!"

"What is it?"

"Nianga, what does Vorzhic venom do?"

"It…it robs someone of their powers," The Naxan's eyes grew wide as realization dawned on her. "Do you think…?"

"Ah dinna ken, Nianga," replied Tsonclad. "Ah dinna ken."

* * *

Onric pushed the door open, as the others followed him into Cedrak's house, the door hanging from one hinge. As the Toa picked their way through the piles of wreckage, Lestra's breath hitched in her throat.

"Who could have done this?" asked the Lightning Toa.

"I don't know," said Onric, "but we're going to find out."

The Skakdi's possessions were scattered about, appearing like a tornado had ripped though his home. His bed was flipped over, his floorboards were pulled up, and his drawers were scattered over the floor.

As Koth opened Cedrak's closet, something leapt out with a shriek and latched onto his face. The others rushed over and tried to pry it off his face.

"Tahlis, it's okay," said Lestra, trying to calm down the terrified Brakas.

Finally, the monkey let go of Koth and clung to Lestra's neck, still shivering in fear.

"Any thoughts, guys?" asked Onric.

"It looks like someone was looking for something," said Tivari.

"They were."

The others turned to Lestra, her mask glowing. She moved out the back door and into Cedrak's yard. She moved back to his tool shed.

"What do you see, Lestra?" asked Onric.

"There's a small cavity under his shed," said Lestra.

"You don't want to look there!" said Tivari, rather quickly.

"Tiv," said Koth, "I think worrying about her Naming Day present is the last of our worries."

"What?" Lestra looked up, confused.

Tivari sighed and stretched out his hands. Calling on his elemental energy, he erased the gravity under the tool shed. The small building slowly rose into the air, revealing an indentation in the earth underneath. In the depression, lay a small chest. Lestra moved forward and picked up the chest. As Tivari set the shed back down, Lestra opened the box and gasped at what she saw. A fist-sized crystal that seemed to glow with its own energy lay in the bottom.

"What is it?" asked Lestra.

"Something Cedrak and I picked up while on the continent," said Onric. "We thought you'd like it."

"Do you think whoever took Cedrak was after that?" asked Koth.

"I can't imagine what else," said Onric, "unless they were after his bow or cloak."

"They left those," said Koth. "I saw them in his closet."

"Pardon meh," said a voice behind them.

The Toa turned to see Tsonclad standing by the side of Cedrak's house.

"Ah hate tae intrude," said the Ice Toa, "but Captain Devichon would like a word with ye. Mah brother's gone missing as well."

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

"Thank you, Toprus," said Onric.

He turned to the combined crowd of seafarers and Toa Tedra that had gathered in the Tedra Inn.

"It's official," said the fire Toa. "Our eastern outpost spotted a small boat land around midnight last night, and a half dozen or so beings sneak ashore. They came back a few hours later, carrying a pair of large bundles."

Lestra's eyes were closed as a tear slid down her mask.

"Hey," said Koth, putting an arm around her shoulder, "Les, we're going to find him. I promise."

"Is there any way we can find out who those beings were?" asked Nianga.

"I'm afraid not," said Toprus. "The guards at the outpost could only make out a vaguely Toa-esque shape."

"Did they see which way they went?" asked another crew member.

"Yes, in fact," said the Matoran as he pulled out a map, "their heading was…here."

He pointed to a line drawn on the map. It stretched from the island towards the continent, ending near a port city.

"From the look of things," said Toprus, "they were heading for Jhameika."

"I knew it."

Everyone turned to see Onric's face drawn in a scowl, his eyes threatening to burn through the table.

"That's right where Cedrak and I picked up that crystal," he growled.

"Wha' crystal?" asked Tsonclad.

Lestra pulled the crystal out of her pack. Several being in the room gasped at the sight of it.

"Cedrak was going to give it to me for Naming Day," said the Toa of Lightning.

A sob wracked her body, causing her to lose her grip on the stone. On reflex, Tivari reached out with his power to stop it from falling. Instantly, everyone in the room was thrown upwards.

With a cry, Lestra hit the ceiling.

"Tivari, what are you doing!?" she cried.

The Toa of Gravity released his power and everyone fell back to the floor.

"What in Karzahni?" asked Devichon.

"I don't know," replied the Toa of Gravity, as he pushed himself. "I just used a little power to stop the thing from falling, and it…multiplied."

An idea formed in Tsonclad's head.

"Lestra," he said, "why dinna ye try using a wee bit of yer lighting on yon crystal."

With an uncertain look on her face, Lestra fed a tiny bit of electricity into the crystal. An instant later, a small storm of lightning erupted from the stone, and Lestra stopped feeding it energy.

"It seems tae meh," said the ice Toa. "Tha' this crystal can amplify elemental energy."

"No wonder someone wanted to get their hands on it," said Nianga.

"Why would someone have just given this to you?" asked Koth.

"I don't know," said Onric, "but I can guarantee, we're going to find out."

* * *

Cedrak awoke to something cold and wet splashing over his face. As he lay on a ground, he sputtered and spit before opening his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of two stone-faced Menirun staring down at him.

"Alright, Skakdi," said one, almost spitting the second word out, "you're to come wit us."

"Wha…what's going on?" asked Cedrak, still groggy.

Without a word, the Menirun roughly hauled him to his feet and dragged him away. As Cedrak half walked between the pair, he saw he had sleeping in a jail cell. As they continued down the hall, Cedrak saw more beings, most of them Menirun, in other cells.

"Where am I?" asked Cedrak.

The Menirun to his left simply stated, "De Pyramid Penitentiary, de city of Diagirr, in de Menirun Republic."

Cedrak tried to speak up, but the other guard whacked him over the head.

"Only speak when spoken too, rebel," he said.

"But –"

"What did I just say!"

The journey finally ended in a dark room. Cedrak was roughly shoved into a chair and handcuffed to it. A bright light snapped on in front of him, causing him to squint and recoil from the light.

"Okay," said a voice from the other side of the light, "this is what's going to happen. I'm going to ask you questions, and you are going to give me answers. If you decide to cooperate, you will be treated very fairly. If you're difficult, you won't be. Simple as that.

"Okay, first question. How much are they paying you?"

"I'm…I'm sorry, who?" asked Cedrak, still very disoriented.

A solid fist flew out of the darkness and connected with his face.

"I'm sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough. How much is the rebel army paying you to run a safe house on the island we found you at?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Another punch connected with his face.

"Okay, fine. Let's try something else. How did you know that we would be attacking that safe house?"

"The store?"

"Yes, now how did you know?"

"I…I was just in there looking for Naming Day gifts."

Another punch.

"Uh huh, and you just happened to walk out with this."

A spotlight came on near him. In its beam sat a small table, and on it sat a fist-sized crystal.

"How did you get that?"

"We found it at your house. Now, cut the innocent act."

"It's not an act! I swear; I just walked in with my Toa friend looking for Naming Day presents when the store owner shoved that in my hands and pushed us out the door."

A moment of silence passed before the mystery voice burst out laughing.

"I'll give you this, you're very good at sounding sincere. Take him back to his cell, maybe he'll be willing to talk tomorrow. Bring in that Ice Toa next."

As Cedrak, his lip bleeding, was dragged back to his cell, he passed another pair of guards with an Ice Toa in tow.

"Oh no," thought Cedrak, as the Toa was dragged into the interrogation room, "Taiyu, not you too."

* * *

A sleek airship cruised into the sky above the Menirun city of Jhameika. It steered towards an empty patch of landing space. Guides on the ground directed the ship into place, and as it touched down, the name painted on its side, _Kleria, _glinted in the sunlight. As the gangplank lowered, six figures could be seen descending from the ship.

As Tsonclad descended, he looked back at the ship.

"Tha's a mighty fine ship, Tivari," he said.

"Thanks, I built her myself," replied the Gravity Toa.

Onric turned to Tsonclad and Nianga and said, "Thanks for coming, you two."

"D'ye honestly think Ah'd leave mah brother tae ye lot tae find?" asked Tsonclad.

Nianga chuckled. "And I wouldn't have dreamed of staying behind. That Toa's really grown on me lately."

"Lestra, do you still have it?" asked Tivari.

The Toa of Lightning placed her hand on the pouch at her side. "I do," she said.

"Then I say we pay that shop keeper a visit," said Koth, punching one fist into the other palm.


	6. Chapter 6

A set of bells tinkled as the door was pushed open. The Menirun shopkeeper looked up from behind the counter to see a pair of Toa enter his shop.

"Hello dere," he said. "And how may I help you two?"

The Toa of Lightning smiled and said, "We came in here a few days ago and bought something. But it seems to not be working."

The shopkeeper's face grew puzzled for a moment. "Must have been when I wasn't here," he thought.

"Well, what is it?" he said. "Maybe I can help you."

The Toa reached into her pouch and pulled something out. As she opened her hand, the shopkeeper saw a fist-sized crystal that seemed to give off its own glow.

The Menirun's eyes grew wide.

"Where did you get dat?" he asked.

"Right here."

The shopkeeper turned towards a voice behind, only to be hit in the face by some invisible force. As he toppled backwards, the Toa of Gravity reached out and erased his gravity, causing him to fly towards the ceiling. As he smacked into the ceiling, a sheet of ice grew over him, pinning him in place. Before his eyes, a Toa of Ice appeared standing on the floor of his shop, wrapped in a cloak.

His bells tinkled again as three more beings entered his shop. The Toa of Ice pulled off his cloak and handed it to the Toa of Fire.

"Tha's a bonny cloak, Onric," he said.

"Okay, Rhenton," said the Toa of Fire, "we've got some questions, and we want answers."

The shopkeeper simply stared down at the Toa with contempt.

"You loyalist pigs won't get a t'ing out of me," he spat. "Just like dem to hire out Toa to do dere dirty work," he muttered.

"Hey, what are you –" exclaimed Koth, brandishing his shield-blades.

"Wait a sec," said Nianga. She looked up at the bound Menirun, "What makes you say we're 'loyalists'?"

"You break into my store, stick me to de ceiling, and demand answers. Dat's why!"

Nianga turned to Tsonclad. "Let him down," she said.

"What?"

"Let him down. I'm afraid we've made a grave mistake," she said.

"What are you getting at?" asked Onric.

After a moment, Tsonclad lowered the shopkeeper to the ground and absorbed the ice. The Menirun eyed them suspiciously before speaking.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"First," said Lestra, "you can tell us what this is. Then, you can tell us why you gave it to my Vhalentain, and you can tell us why he's been kidnapped!" As she spoke, her voice rose until she burst into tears.

Rhenton's eyes grew wide as he saw Tivari try to comfort his sister.

"Oh dear," he said.

He tapped his chin for a moment, before motioning to the group.

"Come with me," he said.

He moved towards the back of the shop, before motioning to them again. The Toa and Nianga followed the Menirun into a back room. He sat at a desk, motioning for them to sit. Nianga sat on the floor, the others sat on the chairs around them. Tivari sat in midair, by erasing his personal gravity.

Rhenton leaned forward, laying his arms on his desk.

"I'll answer your questions, but first," he said, "the Skakdi who came in here three weeks ago with you," he pointed to Onric, "is really her Vhalentain?"

Lestra nodded.

"Hmm, an interesting match. Okay, here's de deal. It seems dat you all have been caught up in somet'ing far bigger than yourselves. De crystal I gave your Vhalentain is known as a Crystal of Catastrophe, one of fourteen in de world. Dey contain an unlimited supply of energy dat can be changed and used when exposed to elemental energy."

"We figured that out on our own," said Koth.

Rhenton chuckled a bit.

"Anyway," he continued, "our ruler King Yuniro has been in possession of dat stone for centuries, using its unlimited resources to power his war machines."

"I thought you Menirun had a republic, not a monarchy," said Tivari.

Rhenton sighed, "We are a republic in name only. Driven by mad visions of power and war, Yuniro holds de senate under his t'umb, and none dare oppose him. Except a select few…like me."

With that, the Menirun got up and moved to the wall behind the Toa. He pushed aside a painting on the wall and pulled a stone out of the wall. He reached into it and pulled on something. He then moved back to the door of his office and pulled it open.

"Come with me," he said before disappearing through the door.

The Toa and Nianga followed the Menirun through the door and stopped short when walked through. Instead of the shop, they were now in what appeared to be a military base.

"Welcome friends," said Rhenton, "to de MERAH, de Menirun Resistance Army Headquarters."


	7. Chapter 7

"You're…a rebel?" asked Nianga.

Rhenton replied, "Please try to understand. We are all dat stands between Yuniro and outright war. He has only to consolidate his power wit'in our borders before he strikes at neighboring nations and cities. Now follow me."

"Hey, Onric?" asked Koth, as they crossed the common area. "What's with these guys' weird accent?"

"Their native language doesn't have the "z" or the "th" sounds in it," replied the Fire Toa. "So, when they speak Matoran, they can't quite make those sounds."

"Fascinating," muttered the Stone Toa.

The group followed him to another section of the base, passing dozens of Menirun coming and going. They stopped at a door where the Menirun knocked. The door slid open, and he wordlessly entered. Onric turned to the others, shrugged, and entered. A moment later, a loud yelp rang out of the room.

The others dashed in, expecting a fight. Instead, they were instantly hoisted into the air inside a half dozen force fields.

"Tancharo!"

The Toa looked down to see another being standing next to their host. The Steltian elite stared at Onric for a moment, before turning to Lestra. As he did so, he changed form into an Oe-Matoran. As he turned to Tivari, he became a Dhelat. As he looked at each captive, he changed his shape into something else.

As he took his eyes off of Nianga, he turned into a Menirun and turned to Rhenton.

"They are who they say they are," he said.

"Wonderful," said Rhenton.

With that, he pressed a button on the panel in front of him. The force fields lowered and dissipated, depositing their cargos on the ground.

"Forgive me," said the Menirun, "but I had to be fully certain that you were not loyalist spies. Our Shivri friend here is our one safeguard against intruders, as his species can detect a being's true identity."

"Fine, fine, just maybe a bit of a warning next time?" asked Koth.

"Certainly, now we have one more stop to make, come."

Once more, the small cavalcade followed the shopkeeper out the door. They came to another door across the room. Rhenton opened the door.

"Wait here," he said as he entered the room.

A few moments later, he emerged and said, "Our leader would like to speak with you."

The small group entered hesitantly. They stood by the doorway, upon entering the dark room.

"Hello Toa, and greetings Naxan," said a voice from the far corner of the room.

Lights came on to reveal another Menirun.

"My name is Yasec, and as Rhenton has told you, I am de leader of de Resistance Army. Rhenton has explained de situation regarding de lot of you," he continued. "Please sit down, and I will explain de situation in detail."

As the small group sat in much the same way as before, Yasec stood before them in a very stiff, militaristic manner as he spoke them.

"First, you are in possession of a very powerful artifact called a Crystal of Catastrophe. Rhenton tells me you are somewhat acquainted wit' its properties. Second, the shop Rhenton runs is in fact a gateway, a portal, to dis base, one of many t'roughout our republic. Dese allow for quick and easy transport and retreat to and from strategic point in our realm. Third, your Vhalenain, miss, has been kidnapped by de king's loyalist forces. He is in all likelihood being held at de Pyramid Penitentiary in de capital city of Diagirr, no doubt de are questioning him about t'ings he knows not'ing about."

He stopped and looked at them with a look simultaneously hard and compassionate.

"I am afraid we cannot launch a rescue mission, solely to rescue one being, but I can promise you dat, in exchange for your help, I will do everyt'ing in my power to see dat he is rescued."

"Our help?" asked Tivari. "How can we help an army?"

"And why would we?" asked Koth. "Seems you people have already given us enough trouble."

Yasec sighed. "Because it is in your best interest. De king knows where you came from, and if he gains control of de Crystal again, your island will be among de first places to fall, as he t'inks you are allied with us. I hate to force you into dis situation, but whed'er you help us or not, if he prevails, he will find you and kill you."

The Toa and Nianga all fell silent for a moment. Lestra was the first to speak.

"I've never loved anyone as much as I love Cedrak," she said. "I would do _anything _to get him back."

"We're all in this," said Onric, "Cedrak is our brother. We couldn't call ourselves Toa if we abandoned him."

"O' course Ah'm comin'" said Tsonclad. "I canna let mah brother rot in jail."

"Me too," said Nianga. "I couldn't live with myself if I stood by on this one."

Yasec smiled.

"Very good den," he said. "We shall begin your training in the morning. Rhenton?" he called outside the door. "Take our guests to the barracks and acquaint them with the MERAH."

* * *

Another punch jerked Cedrak's head to the side, as blood splattered from his mouth.

"For Mata Nui's sake!" cried his interrogator, "who gave you that stone? How many Resistance fighters come through your place? What did – Oh, I don't care, just tell me something, anything, so I don't have to kill you!"

"I swear," wheezed the Skakdi, "you've got the wrong guy. I…don't know anything about a res –"

A fist caught him under the jaw.

"Enough! If you won't talk, then we'll make you!"

A few moments later, the door swung open. Two Menirun entered bearing a large truss of some kind.

"What…what are –"

Cedrak's words were interrupted as his hands and feet were strapped in place. Metal clamps snapped over his wrists and ankles, and moments later, he was trussed up like a fish at market.

"Okay Skakdi, one last chance. Anything you want to tell us."

Cedrak's only response was a ragged sob.

"Fine, then."

The sound of a switch being thrown caused the Skakdi's head to jerk upright. For a moment, electricity flitted around the outside of the truss, and Cedrak caught a glimpse of his interrogator. A stone-faced Kanohi stared back at him.

As the electric energy surged into Cedrak's body, he cried aloud.

"No! Please!" cried Cedrak. "Please, I swear, I don't know anything." He began to sob, tears sliding down his face, as he writhed in pain, screams of agony leaping from his throat.

"Listen Skakdi," said the interrogator. "I've got all night, and all day, as long as I need to get you to talk. You don't. Think about it."

* * *

Lestra jolted awake, a feeling so intense had come over her. Her breathing was ragged, and she could feel the remains of tears on her cheeks. She had been crying in her sleep, but she had no doubt why, for she had just had a dream.

"Cedrak's in anguish," she murmured, trying to catch her breath.

Still shaking, she got up from her bed. As quietly as she could, she moved across the room and stirred the others, motioning them to follow her.

"What is it, Lestra?" asked Tivari.

"I had a dream," said the Lighting Toa. "I can't remember anything specific, all I remember is pain. I felt Cedrak's pain. He's being tortured."

A fresh tear slid down her face.

"I can't take this," said Onric. "Cedrak and Taiyu are rotting in prison, or worse, and we're sitting here waiting to be trained in a war we're not even a part of."

"I have to disagree with that last part," said Koth.

The others turned towards the Stone Toa, questioning looks on their faces.

Koth sighed. "I've been doing some thinking, guys. Whether we like it or not, we're involved in this war now. If that Yuniro guy gets a hold of that Crystal, Tedra Nui is going up in smoke. I think we should help these guys, if just to protect our home."

After a moment, Onric spoke.

"Okay," he said, "we'll help these guys, but I'm not going to stand here while Cedrak and Taiyu are locked up."

The others nodded. With that, they moved as one towards the gate room. As they came to the gate that led to Diagirr, a voice called out from behind them.

"Wait!"

They turned to see Rhenton rushing towards them.

"I want to help," he panted as he reached them. "I feel responsible for putting Cedrak in jail. Plus, you need someone who knows de streets of Diagirr."

"You're sure?" asked Tivari.

"Absolutely."

"Okay," said Onric, "then lead on."

As they walked through the gateway, Tivari turned to the Menirun.

"You really should show me how these things work," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

"As soon as dis crawler goes by, break for de oder side," said Rhenton.

The lights on the crawler passed by swiftly, and the rescue party rushed out of the alley and across the street. As they ducked into another alley, they peered around the corner at the massive structure that dominated the city's skyline.

"Dere it is, fellows," said Rhenton, "de Pyramid Penitentiary."

The building looked just like it sounded, a great pyramid stretching towards the sky. Spotlights and guard towers surrounded the structure that was also encircled by four bio high walls of protosteel.

"Looks…difficult," said Tivari.

"Indeed," said Rhenton.

"You guys all know the plan, right?" asked Onric.

The others all nodded.

"Okay, good luck."

The seven split up, disappearing into the night as they went to rescue their imprisoned compatriots.

* * *

A Menirun sat behind the desk in the entrance area of the prison. She looked up to see another Menirun coming into the door with a trolley. On the trolley was a large box.

"I have a delivery for…a Toa," he said, checking his notepad.

The receptionist looked him over with a calculating eye.

"Visiting hours are over," she said, coldly. "But you can leave it here for tomorrow."

"T'ank you, miss. Do you need to check it over?"

"I suppose I do," she said.

The female got up and moved towards the box. As she reached to open it, the top flew off into her face, knocking her over onto her back side. Suddenly, stone braces formed over her hands, feet, and waist.

"What de!" she cried.

Suddenly, a swift blow connected with the side of her head.

"Sorry, miss," said Rhenton. "Kot', get to the terminal."

The Toa of Stone jumped out of the box and rushed to the terminal. The screen was still on and open to the records of supplies. Assisted by his Mask of Speed, Koth's hands ran over the keys, navigating the terminals system.

"What's it look like?" asked Rhenton, standing by the door, ready to strike any intruders.

"Hey, Tivari's the resident geek," said Koth, huffily. "Just give me a minute to figure this out."

"I'm just afraid we may not have a minute."

"Why's that?"

"We may have gotten in here during the changing of the guards," Rhenton said, peering around the corner, "but I t'ink the guard is coming in here."

* * *

"Can't you go any faster?" asked Nianga.

"Dinna fash yerself," said Tsonclad. "We'll be inside afore long, but disconnectin' something with nae tool but ice is a delicate process."

The two stood outside the prison, just outside of a large drainage pipe. A few moments later, half a dozen pops could be heard before the grate swung outward.

"After ye, m'lady," said Tsonclad.

Nianga giggled as she entered the pipe, her tails swishing behind her. Tsonclad stepped in behind her and pulled the grate shut. He placed his hand on the door and applied his power to it. The same pops were heard again as he absorbed the ice, pulling the pieces back into place. From the outside, it appeared as though nothing had happened.

"Let's go," said the Ice Toa.

The pair followed the pipe, along the path they had been told by Rhenton. After many twists and turns, they looked up to see a drain cover, large enough for them to fit through. According to the Rhenton, and the limited knowledge the Resistance had of this prison, they should be inside the courtyard, just to the south of the control building.

Nianga pushed the cover up and stuck her head out, before jerking it back down and hastily returning the cover. Two seconds later, a search light washed over the cover.

"That was close," breathed the Naxan.

"Let meh go first," said Tsonclad.

He pushed the cover over a few inches and slipped his hand through the hole. His Kanohi Pekhui glowed as he began to shrink. Once he had reached his minimum height, he pulled himself up. The searchlight swung by again, but took no notice of the small white object on the ground. Tsonclad pushed the cover to the side, and Nianga leapt out. She scooped up the Toa and rushed for a nearby door. Using her claw, she picked the lock and slipped inside.

"Where'd ye learn a trick like that?" asked Tsonclad, as he returned to normal height.

"Sometimes you have to learn things to survive," said the Naxan, an abashed look on her face.

Tsonclad sensed he had best enquire at some later time.

Following the hallway, they reached a room guarded by two Menirun. The pair of intruders jumped at them, disabling them before they could sound an alarm. They opened the door, to reveal the main control room. Taking out the guards in the room, one frozen, another bashed over the head, they moved to the panels of controls.

Tsonclad pulled out his communicator and spoke to the others.

"Alright, we're in position. Koth, where are they?"

A moment of silence followed.

"Koth, do ye read me?"

"Kot' is…busy at the moment," said a voice. The sounds of moving stone could be heard in the background.

"Rhenton, wha's happening?" asked Tsonclad.

"No time now, we found where Cedrak and Taiyu are being held. Level 12, East wing, Subsection B12, cell 6124. Gotta go!"

Nianga's claws were already working the keypad.

"Got it!" she exclaimed, hitting the last key with finality.

"Tivari!" Tsonclad called into his communicator, "are ye lot ready?"

"As we'll ever be," said the Toa of Gravity from the other end.

* * *

The Toa of Gravity put down his communicator and spread the map of the prison out.

"Sub…section…B12!" he said, as he looked over the map.

He pointed to the location on the map, then looked up at the building in front of him. He, Onric, and Lestra stood on top of another skyscraper that stood near the prison.

"Okay, Onric, your entrance point is that window. Twelfth floor, fifteen windows from the left."

"Got it," replied Onric. He looked at the Toa of Lightning sitting in his arms. "Ready, sister?" he asked.

Lestra only nodded and clung tightly to her brother. Onric turned and nodded to Tivari. The Toa of Gravity summoned his power and began to siphon away the Toa of Fire's gravity, and Onric broke into a run. As he reached the edge of the building, he braced his legs against the ledge and launched himself into the air. As the Toa's strong legs, his Kanohi Calix, and the gravity being siphoned off him propelled him through the air, he reached the apex of his flight at nearly 200 bio in the air.

Lestra's face was buried in his chest, as she covered her eyes. She never had liked heights, only feeling safe in the Kleria. She clung to Cedrak's cloak as it flew backwards in the wind, covering them both. She called on its power to turn them invisible, allowing Onric to concentrate on his mask. Onric smiled to himself as his feet touched down on the edge of the building. He had judged it perfectly. He was now standing on a ledge a bio wide.

"You can let go, Lestra," he said, a slight smile on his face. "Just don't look down."

The Lighting Toa gingerly set her feet on the ledge and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Onric and nodded. With their entrance right above them, the pair pulled themselves up ever so slightly.

"You sure you heard somet'ing?" they heard a voice inside say above them.

"I t'ought so," said another voice.

The Toa paused.

"It came from outside dis window."

Lestra's mask glowed as she called on her Arthron. She held up her hand for a moment, then signaled to Onric. Calling on his Calix once more, he flipped over the window sill and through the window pane. The glass shattered as the Toa's weight carried him through. He landed against the two guards, knocking them to the ground. One skidded backwards across the hall, the other fell with Onric's feet on his chest.

The Toa of Fire hauled the guard to his feet and smashed his head into the wall, knocking him out. He turned to the other to see him, jumping to his feet. A bolt of lightning streaked by him and zapped the fleeing guard, who fell over writhing from the shock. Onric ran up to the guard and knocked him out.

Onric pulled out his communicator.

"Any alarms?" he asked.

"Nope," said Nianga, "we got them off in your area, remember?"

"Right," Onric turned to Lestra, "Let's go."

Lestra led the way, calling on her mask to find cell 6124, where Taiyu and Cedrak were being kept. They finally reached it and found the door locked.

"I can get this," said Lestra.

She placed her hand on the lock and sent a burst of energy into it. A moment later, a faint click could be heard from inside the door. Not wasting an instant, Lestra shoved the door open and gasped at what she saw.

The cell was empty.


	9. Chapter 9

"He's not here. He's not here!" cried Lestra.

"How is that possible?" asked Onric. "Rhenton said –"

"Everyone! Abort, abort, get out now!" came a cry from the communicator.

"What is it, Nianga?" asked Onric.

"There're guards closing in on all our positions. We need to get out now!"

Onric paused and heard the sound of armored feet approaching.

"They're armed with Vorzhic venom launchers," said Nianga. "Don't let them hit you."

Onric's eyes grew wide. He looked at Lestra; she was still standing there, staring into the cell.

"Lestra, we have to go," he said.

"I'm not leaving without him!" she cried.

"If we don't go now, we'll – look out!"

Onric grabbed Lestra and pulled her backwards, a glob of blue venom splashing where she had stood a moment before. The Toa of Lightning scrambled to her feet and ran with her brother towards their entry point. A dozen Menirun guards rushed after them, firing balls of venom as they went. As they reached the window, Lestra clung to Onric like a frost leech, and the Toa of Fire leapt from the window. The pair bounded down the side of the building, unable to rely on their brother's power to propel them.

As they reached the courtyard, the pair broke into a run, dodging venom blasts and spotlights as they went. Using Cedrak's cloak and Onric's mask in tandem, they managed to escape the grounds and make it back to the MERAH gate. As they dashed inside, they found Nianga and Tsonclad already there. A look of grief passed between them as their breath came in gasps.

The minutes ticked by as they waited for the others. Tivari, Koth, and Rhenton seemed to have vanished. Nianga claws ticked on the wall as she drummed her fingers. Lestra's pacing threatened to wear a hole in the ground, while Tsonclad played with his powers.

"Where in Karzahni are they!" asked Onric.

Just then, Tivari and Rhenton stumbled through the gate. Tivari fell on his mask, his breath coming in great gasps. Rhenton reached up and turned off the gate.

"What are you doing!?" asked Lestra. "Where's Koth?"

Rhenton turned to the others, his face distraught.

"Dey…dey got Kot'," he said.

* * *

"What were you t'inking?" asked Yasec.

Rhenton stood before him, an abashed look on his face.

"I…I felt guilty for getting deir teammate into prison," he said. "And when I overheard dem, I t'ought I could try to redeem myself."

Yasec stood there, his face betraying no emotion. He turned around and leaned on his desk.

He sighed. "Did you see deir layout?" he asked.

"What?"

"Did you see de prison's layout?"

"I…did." Rhenton said, uncertain of what his leader was thinking.

Yasec moved to a cabinet and removed a set of tablets.

"I should have you demoted for dis," he said, "but you have the ability to give us a unique edge over the loyalists. Confer with de others and fill out everything you can. Windows, alarms, passageways, everyt'ing."

"But –"

"Just do it, soldier."

For a moment, Rhenton just stood there, staring at the tablets. Then he straightened up and saluted.

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Lestra?" Nianga knocked on the foot of her bunk. "Are you okay under there?"

The Toa's only reply was a soft sob from beneath the covers.

The Naxan sat at the side of the bed and reached up to pull the sheets back. As she pulled them, she was met with no resistance from the Toa beneath them. When Lestra's face appeared, she saw heavy tear lines down her face.

"We failed him," said Lestra, her voice heavy with grief.

"Listen, Lestra," said the Naxan, "I know how you're feeling –"

"Don't you dare say that to me!" cried the Toa, pushing Nianga to the ground. "You don't have the person you care the most about locked in prison, being tortured. You didn't get your hopes up thinking you could rescue him and then have them dashed to pieces. And you aren't sitting here feeling like a complete and utter failure!"

Nianga stood up, stretching to her full height.

"Lestra, that's exactly how I feel," she said.

"How c – Wait. You…?" Lestra said, questioningly.

Nianga appeared to soften up, and a smile crept over her face.

"Why else do you think I came along?" she asked.

A stunned look came over Lestra's face, which quickly vanished as she started giggling.

"Does he know?" she chuckled.

Nianga's smile fell.

"No, no I haven't told him."

"Why not?"

"I…I don't know if he feels the same way."

Now it was Lestra's turn to comfort her friend.

"Hey," she said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "we'll get the boys out of there, and then we'll both tell our men how we feel."

"But Cedrak knows how you feel," replied the Naxan.

Lestra smiled. "That doesn't make it any different."

"Lestra, Nianga?"

The pair turned to see Tsonclad standing nearby.

"Rhenton wants us tae meet with him," he said. "General Yasec wants us tae map the prison."

"Didn't they already have a map of it?" asked Nianga.

"Aye, but havin' been inside and seen their systems, we can give 'em a better idea o' what's inside."

Lestra turned to Nianga and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go," she said.

* * *

Cedrak was unceremoniously thrown into his cell, landing on his stomach on the cold stone floor.

"Consider yourself lucky, Skakdi," said the guard, before he slammed the door shut.

Cedrak coughed and raised himself onto his hands and knees. Most of his organic tissue was severely burned, and pain shot through his body as he tried to move. He knew he should only barely be alive at this moment. The only reason he was conscious at this moment was because the Vorzhic venom that was injected into him daily had worn off, allowing him to use his healing eye beams on himself. By keeping his eyes shut, he managed to hold off the electric torture rack's destructive forces by firing into his own eyelids.

His interrogator had grown tired of watching him writhe in pain and plead for his life, so, in order to get some rest away from his captive, he had sent Cedrak back to his cell.

"Cedrak?" came a weak voice from the back corner.

"Taiyu?" The Skakdi's voice clawed its way out of his throat, pain emanating from his vocal cords.

"Thank Mata Nui you're alright," said the Toa of Ice.

Cedrak simply collapsed back onto the floor, so exhausted was he.

"What are they doing to you out there, Ced?" asked a new voice.

The Skakdi's head snapped up.

"K-Koth?" he stammered. "How'd you –"

"We tried to rescue you," replied the Toa of Stone. "It didn't work out so well."

Cedrak's face slowly twisted into a grimace, as sobs shook his body, sending pain through his chest.

"I'm sorry, oh Mata Nui, I'm so sorry," he sobbed.

The Toa moved to his side and helped him onto his cot.

"How could I have been so stupid?" cried the Skakdi. "I knew something was wrong when Rhenton handed Onric that stone. Why did I keep it? Why!?"

Taiyu placed an arm around his shoulder.

"You had no idea what was going on," he said. "How could you?"

"Don't blame yourself, Ced," said Koth. "You're not the one responsible. It's those Menirun out there. What I wouldn't give to smash them over the head right now!"

Taiyu sighed. "There has to be something we can do," he said.

Cedrak shook his head. "There's nothing we can do," he said. "We can't use our powers, what with them shooting us up with Vorzhic venom every day."

Just then, the door to the cell flew open, revealing a pair of guards.

"On your feet, Stone Toa," said one of them. "It's your turn."

"Just make me!" said Koth, crossing his arms.

The Toa and the guards stood glaring at each other for a moment, before Cedrak placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Koth, just go," he said. "It's not worth it."

The Toa of Stone sighed and begrudgingly rose to his feet. As the cell door shut behind him, Koth followed his captors.

"The things I could do to these guys," he thought. "If it weren't for this blasted venom!"

They reached the interrogation room, and Koth was handcuffed to the chair. A bright light shone in his face, blinding him. He heard a door behind him open, and a muffled conversation filtered into his ears. Footsteps approached from behind, and he winced in apprehension.

"Okay, Toa," said a voice, as it moved from behind him, "here's how it's –"

The voice stopped as it came around his front. A few moments passed in total silence.

"What's he doing?" thought Koth.

"Y-you three," said the voice.

"Sir?" came a voice to the side.

"Out, e-everyone out. I…I want to talk to, to the prisoner alone."

Koth's eyebrows rose.

"What's going on?" he wondered.

The sound of retreating steps echoed through the room, followed by the sound of a door shutting. As the guards could be heard retreating down the hall, the light turned off in front of him. Now blinded by the darkness, Koth jumped as he felt someone fiddle with his handcuffs. The moment they fell off, the Toa jumped up and rushed for the door. He reached for the handle, only to be grabbed from behind.

"Get off me!" he cried.

Jumping away, he tripped over something on the floor and fell flat on his mask. He scrambled away from the other being and pushed back against the wall.

"What do you want with me?" he whimpered.

"Koth," said the voice.

The Toa of Stone's eyes snapped open. Without its gruff militaristic tone, the voice was familiar, very familiar. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Koth looked up. A Kanohi mask was staring down at him.

"Koth," said the being, "it's me."

"R-Rysavy?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"R-Rysavy?" asked Koth. "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes it is, brother," said the other Toa.

An instant later, Koth was on his feet and embracing the Toa of Air in an ash bear hug. A tear fell from his eye.

"We all thought you were dead," he said, his voice hitching.

"Well," wheezed the other Toa, "I will be if you don't let go."

"Oh, sorry."

Koth set the Toa of Air down. Rysavy stood a head shorter than the Toa of Stone, his Kanohi Iden plastered in a smile.

"I can't believe it's really you," said Koth, still shocked from the sight. "I mean it's been so long since you left. How did you end up here?" he asked.

It took a moment for the Air Toa to answer, the memories coming swiftly and painfully.

"Well, when we went on that mission," said the Toa of Air, "our ship got caught in a storm. I tried to calm it, but I didn't have enough power. Our ship shattered on a reef, and I was swept out to sea, floating on a piece of driftwood." The Toa of Air sighed as he remembered. "Eventually, I spotted a ship and began to swim towards it. It was a slave ship," he said.

Koth's eyes grew wide as he sat down.

"What happened to…" asked Koth, unsure of whether he wanted to hear the answer.

Rysavy shook his head.

"I don't know. I never saw him after the ship broke apart."

He sighed again and continued his story.

"The slave ship picked me up and threw me in the hold." Rysavy shuddered, sitting down as the memories passed through his mind. "Three weeks, I sat in that hold, surrounded by filth and death. When we finally came to port in Jhameika, I tried to run, but they caught me. Eventually, a wealthy Menirun came and purchased me."

"What was it like?" asked Koth, sympathy seeding his voice.

"He treated me well," said Rysavy, his voice quiet. "He gave me a lot of freedom, provided I didn't try to run away."

"Did you try?"

"I almost did, but I realized I had no way to get home. No money, no means of travel, and around here, runaway slaves are generally killed if they're caught."

Koth flinched at the thought.

"I worked for my master for a few years, and then the king issued a decree. Any slave willing to serve in his army would be granted freedom. My master gave me his blessing, and I jumped at the chance. I eventually worked my way up, and now, I'm in charge of the prison."

"Wait, you're the prison commander, _and _the interrogator?" asked Koth.

"Well, I was an interrogator and was pretty good at it, but now I just question high security prisoners. Speaking of which, I need to get you out of here. There's obviously been a big mistake."

Koth's brow furrowed at his brother's words.

"There certainly has been, but I'm not leaving without the others."

Rysavy stared at him, as though he had sprouted a tail, out of his knee.

"Okay, the Toa, I can understand," he said, "but why would you want to help a Skakdi, of all things?"

"He's your sister's Vhalentain," Koth simply said.

Rysavy's mouth dropped open, and his eyes grew as wide as Kanoka.

Koth just nodded.

"I…Is this some kind of joke?" said Rysavy, a slight nervous chuckle escaping his lips, as his face was drawn in confusion. "Are you telling me, that…that Lestra is involved with…with that, that…thing?"

"Hey!" exclaimed Koth, jumping to his feet. "Cedrak is not a thing. He saved my life, all our lives. He's _my_ brother!"

Rysavy shook his head.

"You always were a fool, Koth. That Skakdi was found with that in his possession," he said, pointing to a crystal resting on a table. "Do you honestly think he's up to no good?"

Koth grabbed the crystal and examined it. After a moment, he smiled.

"It's fake," he said. "You're cronies never actually found it. And Rys, he got it by accident! Rhen…some shopkeeper just gave it to him!"

Rysavy threw up his hands and sighed.

"Here we go again!" he exclaimed. "The same story! Either you're in cahoots with him, or that Piraka has you –"

A fist struck Rysavy in the face, with enough force to throw him off his feet.

"Don't you _ever _call him that! Do you hear me?" Koth exclaimed, rushing over to his brother and grabbing him by the shoulder.

He shook the interrogator as he cried, "You think you're so high and mighty, but you're not! That king has you and all the rest of this miserable country completely fooled. He's a war-monger! That crystal, he's going to use it to conquer!"

"Guards!" cried Rysavy, trying to shake off the stronger Toa.

The door burst open, and three Menirun guards rushed in and pried the belligerent Koth of their commander.

"He's got you fooled, Rys!" cried Koth, as he struggled against his captors. "Just use your mask! Look around, you'll see I'm right! You'll see – aaggh!"

The stone Toa was wacked over the head with a club as the door was slammed shut.

"Sir, are you alright?" asked one of the guards.

The Air Toa wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I'm fine," he said, anger tainting his voice.

Rysavy sat down, letting his anger out slowly.

"That rockhead always was a fool," he muttered.

He placed his head in his hands for a moment, before peeking over his fingertips.

"But…what if he's right?" he wondered.

A pensive look came over the Toa's face. He rubbed his Iden's chin, for a moment. Then, he shook his head, his stern look returning.

"No, he's not…" Again, his face was drawn in thought. "But what if?"

* * *

"Okay, there were alarms here, here, and here," said Nianga.

"And large windows, at dese intervals," said Rhenton.

"Okay, that's the fifth floor," said Onric, placing the tablet to the side. "Only twelve more to go."

The others slumped in their chairs.

"This is taking _forever_!" mumbled Tivari, as his face lay buried in his forearms.

"If you want to take a break," said Rhenton, "I could show you all around de MERAH."

"A break would be most welcome," said Tsonclad. "I dinna ken if Ah can take much more sittin' afore Ah lose it."

"No! We have to keep going," exclaimed Nianga. "We have to finish this so we can –"

Lestra put a hand on the Naxan's shoulder.

"Nianga, I want to get them out of there as much as you do," she said, "but it won't do us any good if we're too exhausted to help."

Nianga sighed.

"Okay," she said, "but just a short one."

Onric exchanged glanced with Lestra, his eyebrows raised. Lestra simply shook her head.

"Well, lead the way, Rhenton," said the Fire Toa.

The Menirun nodded as he led the others out the door.

"You all know de barracks," he said, gesturing down the hallway they passed, "so we'll not go dat way."

Tivari chuckled. "Pragmatic as always," he thought.

The group progressed down the hallway, before emerging into the large room they had entered upon first arriving not many days ago.

"Dis is de main hall," said Rhenton, as they stood against on the raised platform that surrounded the room. "Here, Yasec gives speeches and orders, and we group for attacks. See dat giant doorway dat stands in de middle of de room?" He pointed to a great metal archway. "Dat is a portal dat can be linked to any of de jump gates and open a gate large enough for a whole squadron to fit t'rough at once."

"Wow!" exclaimed Tivari. "Any chance I could get a closer look?"

"I'm afraid not," said Rhenton. "Only our best technicians are allowed to even touch it."

"Oh, I t'ink it'd be alright," said a voice behind them.

A female Menirun stood behind them, smiling at the Toa.

"I'm Negurin, head portal technician," she said. "You must be our visitors."

"That we are," said Onric, as he quickly introduced his teammates.

"A pleasure to meet you all," said Negurin. "So, Tivari, would you like a closer look at the portal?"

"Would I ever!" exclaimed the Gravity Toa.

As the Toa and technician descended into from the platform, Onric turned to Rhenton, only to see him staring after the retreating Menirun, his mouth slightly agape. Onric followed his gaze for a moment.

"Rhenton?" he asked, snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"Hmm?" The Menirun turned to the Toa of Fire.

"Do you want to continue the tour?"

"Oh right," he said as he turned and ushered the remaining beings toward another hall.

Even as they moved into the training grounds, Onric could not help but notice the backwards glances and slight smile that crossed Rhenton's face.

"It seems our friend here has a bi' of a crush," whispered Tsonclad.

"You noticed it, too?" asked Onric.

"How could Ah not?" replied the Ice Toa, "wi' that silly grin on 'is face."

"I certainly hope he knows what he's getting into," thought Onric. "I can't say love is a curse," his thoughts were drawn to a certain Water Toa he had known so many years ago, "but just as well might be."

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

He was floating in an endless void, a sea of white encompassing his vision.

"Cedrak?"

As he heard a voice in the void, his feet touched what felt like solid ground. The Skakdi turned this way and that, looking for the source.

"Cedrak?"

The voice sounded more beautiful than anything he had ever head in his life. It filled him with a warmth so intense, he felt like his heartlight would fracture.

"Cedrak?"

Finally, he saw something appearing out of the void. At first, too faint to make out, as it came closer, its form became unmistakable.

"Lestra!" cried Cedrak, as he broke into a run.

The Lightning Toa rushed towards her Vhalentain. She laughed aloud as he swept her up and twirled her around. Still holding her, he pressed his lips to hers.

"Cedrak, you're alright," she said, a tear appearing in her eye.

"I am now," said the Skakdi.

He reached up to brush the tear from her eye, and as he did so, she caught his hand and brought it to her face. Resting her cheek on his palm, she smiled.

"You know this is a dream," she murmured.

"Your point?" he asked.

She caught one of the spines on his neck and pulled him closer, planting another kiss on his lips.

"Cedrak," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, kissing her cheek and drawing her closer.

Now, the pair simply stood there. It could have been seconds, days, or years, but time has no meaning in the realm of slumber. Finally, Lestra leaned back.

"It's time," she said.

Reluctantly, the Skakdi released the Toa who began to back away.

"Cedrak, we're going to get you out of there!" she called, as she grew fainter.

"I know you will!" he called in return.

The endless void dissolved in an instant, and the dream faded from memory as a pair of hands pulled him roughly from his cot and forced him onto his knees, on the cold hard floor.

"It's your lucky day," said one of the guards, as another pair restrained each of the inmates. "You won't be interrogated today. The prison master wants you healed up for something extra special," he added with a sadistic grin.

All three prisoners' faces fell as the organic tissue on their arms was punctured by needles that injected their daily dosage of Vorzhic venom. The guards left a tray of food on the floor, before pulling the door behind them. Cedrak reached for one of the small clumps that sat in a pile on it. He stared at it for a moment, trying to remember his dream. It had all faded, except for a few bits; all he could recall was Lestra's face and the feeling of peace that had surrounded him. Finally, he shook it off and tossed the clump to Koth.

"They don't even give us the pleasure of eating," grumbled the Toa of Stone.

The food stuffs given to them on a daily basis contained all the energy they needed to survive, but, as they found out the hard way, they tasted like the underside of a Kane-Ra's hoof, leaving them to simply absorb the sticky masses.

"Well, what do you expect?" asked Taiyu, as he picked one up himself. "This is a prison."

Koth sighed as the food in his hand was sucked in.

"At least we get a day where we aren't – what the?"

The others turned to see the Stone Toa holding out his hand. Where a colorless mass had been a moment before, there sat a small, thin tablet.

"It was inside my food," he said.

Looking closely, he saw, etched into the tablet, were light carvings.

"It's…a message," he said, trying to make out what it said. "'Replaced venom, do not…escape, wait for signal.'"

The others looked up in unison and immediately tried to use their powers. A small pebble leapt from the floor and swept towards Koth, a forcefield appeared in Cedrak's hand, and a layer of ice formed over Taiyu's food.

"Our powers are back," whispered Cedrak.

He closed his eyes, and a smile spread over his face.

Taiyu turned to Koth.

"Does that thing say what the signal will be?" he asked.

Koth peered closer.

"All it has is a big circle on the bottom," he said, "and the way it's drawn, it looks like it's shining."

"Somehow, I think we'll know it when we see it," Cedrak said.

"So, what now?" asked Koth. "Do we just sit here, waiting for our rescuers?"

Taiyu gasped.

"What?" asked Cedrak.

"I just had a brilliant idea!" said the Ice Toa.

"Well, don't keep us in the dark!" said Koth.

"Okay, here's what we do…"

* * *

Lestra's eyes opened slowly as dawn's first rays fell over her face. She smiled as she recalled what little of her dream she could. Cedrak was safe, at least for now. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. As her eyes travelled around the female barracks, she realized she was one of the first ones awake. After a moment of puzzling, she chuckled.

"Of course, it's Sahterday," she thought.

She rolled out of bed and made her way to the MERAH's cafeteria. After selecting a few items, she moved to a table near the doorway. Only a few other beings were up at this point, but Lestra had always been an early riser, unless, of course, the day before had been long or hard. She bit into a Madu fruit as her thoughts turned to her Vhalentain.

"I wonder how he's fairing," she thought, her thoughts dampening her mood slightly.

"Hello, Lestra," said a voice.

The Toa of Lightning looked up to see Tivari standing next to her, and Nerugin next to him.

"Do you mind if we sit wit' you?" asked the female Menirun.

"Oh, not at all."

Lestra moved over, allowing the others more room.

"What has you up this early?" asked Lestra. "Don't Menirun usually take Sahterday off?"

Nerugin chuckled.

"'Usually,' is de key word dere," she said. "I got a call a few hours ago to fix one of de portals, and I got Tivari up to help me. De portal had shut down by itself and clipped off a soldier's heel."

Lestra gasped and covered her mouth.

"Oh my, was he hurt?" she asked.

Tivari shook his head.

"It just got the edge of his armor," he said, "though I'd hate to think what might have happened if he were a second or two late."

Both females just sat for a moment, rather unpleasant images playing in their mind.

"So anyway," said Nerugin, "I'm very impressed by your brother here, Lestra. When I was showing him de big gate last night, he was actually pointing out ways to maximize power, minimize dimensional flux, among other things. Where did you learn so much?" she asked the Gravity Toa. "Did you go to a university?"

Tivari smiled.

"Actually, I've only been off Tedra Nui a few times. Those kinds of things just come naturally to me."

"Well, I was seriously impressed. Maybe once we get de portal working again, I could show you some t'eories I've been working on," she added.

"I'd like that," he said.

Lestra eyebrow rose for a moment. She was about to speak when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked, she saw no one there.

"Odd," she thought.

Just around the corner, another figure stood, listening to the other beings' conversation. He had almost gone in but, upon seeing the female Menirun, had quickly backpedaled. He released a breath he did not realize he was holding as he leaned against the wall just outside the doorway. He jumped at the sound of laughter.

"So Tivari, did you become a Toa wit' the rest of your team, or were you all separate?"

That voice. He had heard it in his sleep for years, as long as she had been a part of the resistance. It was as soothing as a babbling brook and gentle as a summer's breeze. And yet, as he listened, his heart was wrenched by that very voice. There he stood for a full five minutes. Over and over, he heard the same name, Tivari.

Rhenton swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he finally tore himself from the wall and walked down the hallway. Tears formed in his eyes as his hands began to quiver. He knew that some of his friends and fellow soldiers were aware of his attraction to the pretty technician, but even those closest to him did not know his true feelings.

"Before I met her," he thought, "I t'ought love at first sight was a joke, a Matoran's tale."

He stopped and leaned against a wall, watching his tears drop to the floor.

"I was dead wrong."

He remembered the the day she had first come into his store. He had been struck by how pretty she looked, and though it had not been the first time a female had caught his eye, something felt different. In less than a decade, she had risen from a low class engineerer to heading the resistance's tech devision, and during that time, the two had become good friends. She had never seen him as anything more than a friend, and he had been content with that, for a while.

"If only I could tell her how much I care about her," he thought. "I can't count de number of times I've tried to tell her how I feel, but it's too late now. She wants…dat Toa. If only I'd known!"

He slammed his fist against the metal wall.

"How was I supposed to know she'd fall for him!"

He stood there, leaning on the wall, his emotions whirling like a maelstrom. Finally, he straightened up and wiped his eyes, trying to regain his composure. He swallowed again.

"I guess…as long as she's happy, dat's good enough for me," he thought.

He himself knew he did not mean it, but he would never hurt her, not for anything. With tears still glistening on his face, he slowly walked back to the barracks.

"G'mornin' tae…ye."

Rhenton did not even look up as he passed the Toa of Ice. Tsonclad looked at the Menirun and then looked at where he had come from.

"What on…?" he wondered. "What's gotten intae him?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay," said Negurin, picking up her tray, "Tivari and I still have to finish fixing de portal."

"Well, good luck with that," said Lestra.

She watched as the pair left the room, still talking amicably. She chuckled.

"It's been a long time since Tivari had someone to geek out with," she thought.

When the pair arrived in the portal room, they immediately got to work inspecting the device.

"This is unlike anything I've ever seen," he said, smiling. "I've never seen some of these implementations before."

Negurin lay down on a rollerboard and pushed herself under the mainframe.

"Neither had we," she said. "Hand me a 5/8 wrench."

Tivari pulled the device from her tool kit.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Negurin paused for a moment.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked.

"In…the MERAH?"

"No, I mean, do you know where de MERAH is located?"

Tivari thought for a bit.

"No, I kinda assumed you don't tell people. You know, so they can't try to get here from the outside."

Negurin chuckled.

"Dat's just it, dere is not'ing outside."

"Huh?"

"Have you seen any windows while you've been here?"

"No."

"Dat's because de MERAH is in, as near as we can tell, a pocket dimension."

Tivari sat there for a moment, staring into space, his mouth slightly agape.

"Wait," he asked suddenly, "what do you mean 'near as you can tell'? Who built this place?"

Negurin pushed herself out from under the mainframe and sat up.

"Let me back up. Look at dese portals. Would you believe dese are based on reverse engineered Vehle technology?" she whispered, discreetly.

Tivari's eyes lit up, and his jaw dropped.

"Vehle technology?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face. "Where…how…!"

Negurin chuckled.

"It was a pair of resistance soldiers dat started it," she said. "In de early years of de resistance, dey became separated from dere squadron in a forest south of Diagirr and stumbled on a set of Vehle ruins. To make a long story short, one had been a linguist specializing in Vehle translations before joining the resistance. He was able to translate a good portion of de carvings on what remained on de walls. In de middle of de ruins was a giant stone arch; de translation called it a 'Way-Gate,' and de translator, after reading de writings on de walls, was able to activate it. On de oder side was a world of darkness and blasted landscape. And dat's where we are right now, de World of Darkness. We were able to replicate de arch's technology to a certain extent, but as you can see here," she gestured to the dozens of gates surrounding them, "it is far from perfect."

"Wow," said Tivari, "but is there anything out there that might attack here?"

"We do have perimeter defenses, but have yet to come into contact with anyt'ing," said Negurin. "But, enough talk, shall we get to repairing?"

Tivari nodded.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Taiyu sat on his cot, his elbows on his knees, listening to the sound of Koth's snores. After their morning rations, the Stone Toa had decided to go back to sleep, as they would have to wait until nighttime to put their plan into action. Taiyu's attention was drawn to Cedrak, as the Skakdi shifted on his cot.

"You asleep, Cedrak?" asked the Ice Toa.

"No," said the Skakdi.

"You worried?"

After a moment, Cedrak replied, "Yes, I just can't imagine why he would want us to rest and heal."

Taiyu shivered as he recollected who Cedrak was referring to. After a moment, he spoke again.

"Cedrak, what's it like to be in love?"

The Skakdi sat up, an inquiring look on his face.

"That was a little bit out of the blue," he said.

"I'm…just trying to get you to think about other things," said Taiyu.

"Well…it's like…it's unlike anything you've ever felt before. It's like the pair of you become a Kaita. You share your joy and sadness, your pleasure and pain. You make each other stronger, and yet, you feel like you've lost half of yourself when you're apart. You'll do anything to see each other happy, and the sight of your beloved hurting can hurt you more than her."

Cedrak paused and smiled.

"Why do you ask?" he inquired.

Taiyu smirked for a moment.

"Well…"

Cedrak chuckled.

"Oh, I see. Do I know her?"

Taiyu pondered the question for a moment.

"I don't think you do," he said. "C- can I ask you for some advice?"

"Sure."

"I…I don't know what to say to her. I mean, how do I…?"

Cedrak shook his head.

"Ice Toran," he chuckled. "Look Taiyu, there isn't a right or wrong way to go about it? There're no logical step-by-step instructions I can give you. When the time comes, you'll know."

Taiyu looked back at his friend.

"Thanks, Cedrak."

* * *

Onric held up his sword, so it glinted in the light of the barracks' lightstones. Setting it back on his knees, he continued to polish the flame-like carvings that ran up its length. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Tsonclad standing beside him.

"Onric?" he said, softly. "Ah think somethin's wrong with Rhenton. He's sittin' of alone, jes' starin' at the floor."

Onric was about to protest, until he saw the look on Tsonclad's face. The Ice Toa was genuinely concerned, that much was certain.

"What can it hurt?" thought the Fire Toa as he set down his sword and followed Tsonclad.

The pair wound up in a side hallway, where Rhenton could be seen slumped against the wall, his face buried in hands.

"Rhenton?" asked Onric.

The Menirun looked up at the pair.

"What do you want?" he asked, every syllable saturated with despair.

"Rhenton, wha' happened?" asked Tsonclad. "Wha's gotten intae ye?"

"Not'ing you would understand," he muttered, burying his face back into his hands.

"Actually," said Onric, sitting down beside, "I do understand. Someone's broken your heart."

Rhenton's head flew up, and he stared back at the Toa.

"How…?"

"I was in love once. Her name was Kleria, and she died in my arms during a Skakdi raid on my home island," Onric replied. He looked back at the Menirun. "I'd never felt so alone and empty in my life." He sighed. "The emptiness turned to rage, and I killed half the invading Skakdi."

Tsonclad and Rhenton's eyes flew wide. A Toa who killed!

Onric continued, "It's not something I'm proud of, not in the slightest. My rage eventually led me to break my sister's heart. I tried to kill Cedrak, since his kind had taken Kleria from me. But when he saved Lestra and everyone else I held dear from the grips of a mad Makuta, I saw what I had let my heartbreak do to me."

The Fire Toa looked at the Menirun again.

"I'm not going to ask you who did this to you or why. I know those are…sensitive topics, but whatever it was, don't let it consume you. I know all too well what can happen from letting a wound like that fester."

"Listen Rhenton," said Tsonclad, placing a hand on the Menirun's shoulder, "Ah may not know what ye're going through, but Ah'm here for ye. We're all here for ye. If ye want tae talk, dinna fash yerself, we wouldna tell a soul."

For a moment, Rhenton did not respond. Then, his jaw began to quiver as tears started to form in his eyes once more. He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. Tsonclad put a comforting arm around his shoulder, while Onric tried to console the distraught Menirun.

"It's going to be okay, Rhenton," he said. "It's going to –"

"Attention everyone!" came a voice over the loudspeakers, "Everyone gader in de main room. Yasec has an important message to deliver. He will begin in fifteen minutes. Dat is all."

Onric turned to Rhenton.

"Think you'll be alright?" he asked.

Rhenton simply nodded.

"Okay, let's go."


	13. Chapter 13

As Koth was marshaled down the hallways of the Pyramid Penitentiary, his mind was awhirl. What did Rysavy want? Had he seen the truth, or had he turned his back on his brothers altogether, now that he knew they were working with the rebels?

"I guess I'll find out soon enough," he thought.

Minutes later, he was thrust through the door and cuffed to the interrogation chair. The guards left without a word, leaving Koth to wait in the dark. After what seemed forever, he heard shuffling behind him, as though someone had gotten to their feet. A few moments later, he felt someone touch his chair.

"Well, what do you want, Rysavy?" asked Koth.

"Koth, I…" the Air Toa stammered. "I'm sorry," he said at last.

Koth's head shot up.

"What?" he asked.

"Listen Koth," Rysavy said, as he undid the handcuff, "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I'm sorry I doubted you about the king, and," he paused, "I'm sorry I doubted about that Skak – I mean, Cedrak." He paused, "I've…I've been using my mask…to spy on you guys."

"You what!" exclaimed Koth, leaping to his feet.

"No, no, it's…I spy on all our rebel prisoners," replied Rysavy, holding up his hands defensively. "I did it hoping one of you would say something about the rebel base or your leader or something I could use, but I got something I never expected to see. I saw a Skakdi crying."

Koth's expression dipped, going from outraged to confused.

"When did he…?"

Rysavy sat down. "Last night, I went in hoping I might catch you all talking, but you and, uh, Taiyu, were already asleep. I almost turned and left when I heard a sob from Cedrak. I moved towards him and saw he was lying on his side, holding something to his chest. I waiting, wanting to see what it was, and finally, he lifted it up and looked at it. It was a palm-sized painting, and when I looked at it closely, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Lestra. He stared at it for a moment, with tears in his eyes. He said, 'What I wouldn't give to see your face,' and kissed it."

Rysavy sighed.

"I can't say I'm happy about it, but he's in love with my sister. I can't deny that, not after what I saw. And if he makes her happy, I guess…he can't be all bad."

Koth smiled and sat next to his brother.

"I don't expect you to trust Cedrak right off the bat," he said, "and he won't either. The fact that you can recognize that he cares for Lestra is enough for now."

There was silence for a moment, then Rysavy spoke again.

"I…I spied on the king," he muttered.

"And?" asked Koth.

"You were right."

Koth had to suppress the look of relief that threatened to cover his face. He had just been bluffing before, not knowing if there was anything worth seeing in the king's palace.

"When I first got there, I found Yuniro in a conference with half a dozen of his generals. They were talking about…where to attack first. Koth, he wanted to attack Tedra Nui first. He thinks the Crystal of Catastrophe is there, and once he got it, he was going to spread his campaign."

He placed his hands on his forehead and leaned forward.

"I can't believe how blind I've been," Rysavy said. "All this time, I've been loyal to a warmonger."

Koth put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Rys," he said. "You had no way to know."

A slight smile came over Rysavy's face.

"Yeah, I guess."

A moment passed before Rysavy spoke again.

"So, when are you going to launch that plan of yours?"

"What!" exclaimed Koth, "oh right, the mask."

"I want to help," replied Rysavy, "but tell me. How is it that you're not reacting to the Vorzhic venom?"

Koth smiled.

"Funny you should ask…"

* * *

As the entirety of the MERAH moved towards the central room, Nianga and Lestra could be seen among the moving mass.

"What do you think he'll say?" Nianga asked Lestra.

The Toa of Lightning shrugged.

"Who knows?" she said. "Maybe it'll be something about our botched rescue mission and the information we got from it."

Nianga's face fell at the thought.

"I still can't believe we messed up so badly," she said.

"It's okay, Nianga. It'll all work out. I promise."

"I don't know which was worse," mumbled Nianga, "failing to get him out or having to break into someplace again. After all this time."

Lestra's eyebrows quirked.

"Again?" she thought. She was just about to speak when they entered the main room.

"My fellow resistance fighters!" said Yasec from his place on the central podium, "today is a great day for de cause of freedom. As many of you may have heard, our attempt to retrieve de Terranic Crystal of Catastrophe from King Yuniro's fortress was successful, but de crystal itself was lost."

As a murmur spread through the crowd, Lestra's eyes roved over the multitude of beings between her and the rebel leader. Thousands of Menirun packed the room to the seams, and here and there she could see the odd being of another species. A pair of Vonatii stood near the opposite wall, the Shivri Tancharo stood near the podium, and a Vortixx, a Cuartan, a Steltian Gladiator, and an Aviena formed another group midway through the crowd. There were others, but Lestra's attention was drawn back to the leader as the crowd's noise died down.

"De crystal was lost," said Yasec, "but two days ago, it was returned to us by de Toa Tedra and de Naxan Nianga."

The leader motioned to the crowd, calling the Toa to the podium. Lestra and Nianga found the crowd parted for them as they walked towards the stage. As they arrived beside the rebel leader, they saw Tivari and Onric appear along with Tsonclad. Lestra noticed Negurin waving at her and returned the gesture as Yasec resumed speaking.

"Dese brave souls journeyed from deir home island when two of dere own was kidnapped…"

* * *

As Rhenton followed the two Toa towards the central room, he thought about what the pair had said. In spite of himself, he could not help but smile a little. He had not known these two for more than two days, and yet they were willing to help him in his time of need.

"Toa have an unusual understanding of camaraderie," he thought. "It's somet'ing I will never fully understand."

As they reached a turn in the path, Rhenton saw Tivari and Negurin just ahead of them. He paused for a moment, then continued on.

"I can't keep avoiding dem," he thought.

As the five beings came to a stop near the middle of the room, Rhenton stole a glance towards Negurin. She and Tivari were giggling, no doubt at some joke one or the other had made. The sight made his heart sank. All he could imagine was himself in the Toa's armor, making her laugh. He was jolted from his thoughts when the three Toa were called forward to the central podium. As they moved through the crowd, Rhenton moved a little closer to Negurin.

"Hi Rhenton," said the female, "sounds like our Toa friends are real heroes."

"Indeed," he replied.

Negurin waved at Lestra and Nianga as they appeared onstage, the Lighting Toa returning the gesture.

"So where were you this morning?" Negiurn asked. "You usually don't miss breakfast, even on Sahterday."

Rhenton's hand ran over his head.

"I…had some things on my mind," he replied.

He paused for a moment.

"Negurin," he said, turning towards her.

"Yes?" she asked without diverting her attention from the stage.

He swallowed, trying to keep himself composed.

"I just wanted to say dat I'm…happy for you and Tivari," he said at last.

"What do you –"

She turned, but he had already left.

"What did he…"

Her thoughts trailed off, trying to make sense of what Rhenton had just said. A bizarre thought crossed her mind.

"Could he mean – no, if he – well maybe…"

She turned towards the exit they had come from, then back at the rebel commander.

"I'm just a technician," she said. "I can just get de gist from one of de Toa later."

With that, she moved back towards the exit, fighting past crowd that pressed closer to the center.

"I've got to talk to him," she thought, "before he does something terrible."


	14. Chapter 14

"Generals, return to your soldiers and prepare dem for battle," said Yasec. "We will strike in two days time. Now go, and do me proud!"

As Yasec finished his speech, the room began to empty of all life. Yasec's generals retreated towards the portal room, to return to their troops. Those stationed in the MERAH left to prepare themselves for the battle to come.

Lestra made her way down from the stage, a smile on her face.

"We're coming for you, Cedrak," she thought.

As the Lightning Toa caught up to Nianga, she saw the Naxan's expression.

"Okay, Nianga, what's wrong?" asked Lestra.

Nianga turned with sad eyes towards her friend.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Lestra sighed and grabbed a hold of one of Nianga's ears. Ignoring her friend's complaints, Lestra half dragged, half led the Naxan into a side room. Shoving Nianga into a chair, Lestra turned and bolted the door.

"Alright Nianga," said Lestra, turning towards her friend, her arms crossed, "every day since Taiyu and Cedrak were kidnapped, you've been looking more and more depressed. I've tried being nice about it, but that hasn't gotten me anywhere. So I'll try again. What is wrong?"

The Naxan stared at the ground, not saying a word.

"I'm afraid," she mumbled at last.

"Oh Nianga, we're all afraid going into battle," replied Lestra.

Nianga shook her head.

"No, that's not what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid…" she paused as though weighing her options.

Finally, she looked up and said, "I'm afraid to tell Taiyu about my past."

Lestra's eyebrow quirked upwards.

"What's there to be afraid of?" she asked. "You told me yourself, you left Xana and became a wanderer. Where's the shame in that?"

Nianga sighed.

"I'm afraid, that I didn't tell you the whole truth," she replied.

Lestra sat next to the Naxan and said, "Well, we do have all day."

She placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, you can tell me."

Nianga looked at Lestra with a look mixed with fear, suspicion, and oddly, hope.

"Nianga, I promise. I won't tell a soul."

Nianga sighed once more and said, "Alright…"

* * *

I told you I left Xana (she said), but I never told you why. Quite frankly, I hated it. I hated everything about it. The council of elders breathing down everybody's necks, the traditions that had zero room for error, having to live in a tree and have Rahi for neighbors, ugh! I got out of there faster than a phase dragon when my chance came. And like I told you, I became a wanderer, going wherever the wind and my heart would take me. I travelled for years, until my journey took me to Zora Nui, Vice Isle. An island run on greed and avarice, praying on those too naïve to know the dangers of gambling – it is covered in casinos and taverns, and run by those with the wealth to bribe their way into power.

I went there on a whim and, like so many a young traveler, had dreams of gambling my way to wealth, but I could not have been more unprepared for what I found. As I stepped off the boat, I found an island without law or order. Beings lay about the streets, hopelessly inebriated from who knows what kinds of substances. Thieves ran rampant; the only ones safe were those who could pay a fortune for hired guards. Looking back, I now see how stupid it was to try to stay, but I did anyway, thinking I could make a fortune and leave. I could not have been more wrong. I had managed to find a place to stay, but not two days after arriving, I was robbed. I arrived home to find it in shreds. All my belongings were gone or destroyed. I was devastated and had nowhere to go. There were no police to go to; all of them were either criminals themselves or paid to look the other way. There was really only one thing I _could_ do, find a job.

But no one would hire a Naxan. Most of the world sees us a strange, backwards, and ugly, and I don't really blame them. I looked like a Rahi that just strolled out the woods. Finally, I found someplace that would hire me, a tavern. I became a dancer, and I hated it. I hated every minute of it – every day, putting myself on display, people staring at me like some circus sideshow. I _tried _to make the best of it; my employer, however, seemed determined to make me miserable. I knew he was making good money off his business, but any attempt to get a raise in pay, or better hours, or the least bit of slack was met with instant anger.

He would say things like, "Hey, I took you in out of the kindness of my heart. Don't abuse it. Just be grateful someone hired a freak like you. I know dozens of girls who would take your job in two seconds. Now quit complaining and get back to work."

And I knew all it was true, many of my coworkers thrived on the attention they got. And it seemed no matter how hard I tried, most of the more "attractive" species just turned their noses at me.

The money I made was barely enough to keep me in my apartment. And when the day came that my pay was cut, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went in after hours and raided the tavern. I wasn't proud of it, but at the time, I was desperate. After that, I taught myself to pick locks, my claws being well-suited for the job. I started out only stealing when I needed the money, but the more I did it, the more I wanted. It became an obsession; almost every night, I robbed someplace new. It seemed, however, that someone got wise to me.

I returned from my job to find a pair of thugs in my apartment. To make a long, brutal, and tortuous story short, they beat me to the edge of life and warned me not to steal from their boss again. They ransacked the place and made off with many of my belongings. When I finally woke up, I painfully pulled myself to my feet and made my way to my safe. I pulled out a handful of money and slowly made my way to the shipyard. I went to the first ship I saw and paid them to take me off the island. I didn't care where I ended up, only that I got away from that awful island.

* * *

"When we got to the mainland, I had nowhere to go, so the captain offered to hire me. That was Devichon, and I stayed on his ship until the day we came to Tedra Nui."

Nianga sat there, staring at the floor.

"Devichon's the only person who knew where I had come from," she said. "He became like a mentor to me, and he's the only other person who knows how I feel about…Taiyu."

She looked at her Toa friend.

"Now do you see why I don't want to tell him?" she asked. "I was a dancer and a thief! He's a Toa! If I'd met him any other way, he'd have thrown me in prison."

Her eyes began to water.

"I'm afraid that if I tell Taiyu, I'll lose him," she said, a quivering in her voice. "I just…couldn't bear to have that happen."

"Nianga," said Lestra, "I – I'm not sure what to say. I might have only known you for a little while, but I can tell that you are a good person. I think that Taiyu does as well. I –"

The pair was interrupted by a pounding on the door.

"Lestra! Are you in there?" said a voice.

"Yes, and Nianga, too."

Lestra opened the door to reveal an anxious-looking Toa of Fire.

"Onric, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Rhenton's gone missing," replied Onric. "I'm afraid something's happened to him."


	15. Chapter 15

Keys jiggled in the lock causing Cedrak and Taiyu to look up from their sitting positions. The door to their cell swung open, revealing a pair of beings. As they stepped into the cell, Cedrak's eyes grew wide as he recognized the face of their interrogator. He scooted backwards, away from the Toa, only then noticing that Koth was standing directly behind the other Toa. The pair closed the door behind them, Koth stepping towards his fellow prisoners.

"Guys," he said, "I want you to meet my brother, Rysavy."

Cedrak simply stared at the pair, unsure of what to think.

"Um…what?" he finally said.

"Cedrak," said Koth, "remember the Toa that used to be a part of our team, a long time before you came around?"

The Skakdi nodded.

"This is Rysavy, the Toa Tedra of Air."

"Cedrak," said Rysavy, uncertainty in his voice, "Koth tells me that…that you and my sister, Lestra, are Vhalentian. I…I, well, maybe…maybe I'd better start from the beginning."

Rysavy told the prisoners his story, how his ship was destroyed and he was kidnapped into slavery, how he worked his way to the head of the prison, and how he had spied on the king.

"After seeing King Yuniro conspiring to attack my home, our home, I realized how what he really is, and I don't want any part of it. And I'm so sorry what I did to you. I don't know if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, but…"

A tear dropped from the Toa of Air's eye.

"I forgive you, Rysavy."

The Air Toa looked up at the Skakdi, whose eyes betrayed no ill will.

"Just like that? No hard feelings, no angry outburst?"

Cedrak chuckled.

"Perhaps I should tell you _my _story."

* * *

"You're sure about this?"

Koth looked about nervously, as he and Rysavy approached the main control room.

"Come on, where's that impetuous attitude I remember?" asked Rysavy. "Remember, if anyone asks anything, you're a double agent trying to get information from the rebels."

"Right, double agent, 'kay," replied Koth.

As the pair rounded the next corner, they saw the entrance to the room. The guards saluted at Rysavy but, upon seeing Koth, trained their weapons on him.

"What's he doing here?" asked one. "Did he not try to free dose rebels?"

"Stand down, soldiers," said Rysavy. "This is special agent Koth, he's been working undercover within the rebel army for years. I requested he be sent here to help glean information from the rebels."

"Den why was he wit' does rebels?"

"I couldn't very well up and leave my post," replied Koth. "I orchestrated the rescue attempt and intentionally botched it. Was it convincing?"

"I still have de bruises from your flying boulders," said one of the guards. "It was very convincing."

"Good," Koth nodded, "now if you'll excuse us, gentlemen."

The two Toa entered the room, and Rysavy relieved the two Menirun from their watch duties.

"Take a break," he said, "I'll inform you when we are done."

After the pair had left, Rysavy turned his attention to one of the screen.

"Nice job on your cover," he said, typing at one of the keypads. "Okay, daily deliveries…"

"Shouldn't you be looking for other rebels?" asked Koth.

"Koth, this is a high security prison. Do honestly think you could find where the _highest _security prisoners were simply by looking through the records?"

"Guess that explains the empty cell we found," said Koth.

"Yes, this isn't some story told around an Amaja circle. This is war. You can never be too careful. Let me show you how this is set up. The way we have it set up, what appears to be the records of prisoners are all mixed up and meaningless. The real records are hidden in the list of supplies brought in. See," he pointed at the screen, "each item is actually a coded entry."

"I doubt I'll be able to learn your whole code in one day," replied Koth.

"No need," Rysavy replied, "just look for any entries with this bit in it."

He pointed to a small set of letters.

"That's spot represents the crime they were brought in on. This one means they were brought in on charges of rebellion. Not necessarily part of the resistance, but definitely disgruntled with the king."

"Why not we just find where everyone is?"

Rysavy shook his head.

"Yuniro might be a war monger, but he is tough on crime. There are thieves, murderers, and psychotics in here. Not the kind of people you'd want to hang around."

"Okay, let's get on this."

"And once we're done, we'll stop by the supply room and see just what you're rebel friends did to the venom supply."

* * *

"Where could he have gone?"

Negurin wondered. She, Tivari, and Tsonclad were searching the barracks, looking for any sign of the missing Menirun.

"Search me," said Tivari. "I'm just trying to figure out _why _he'd vanish like this."

"Same here," replied Negurin.

A moment later, Tsonclad sighed, "Tivari, would ye mind if Ah talk tae Negurin…alone?"

An odd look on his face, the Toa of Gravity left the room. As the door closed behind him, the Toa of Ice turned to the Menirun.

"Negurin," said Tsonclad, crossing his arms, "ye're a bright lass, but are ye blind?"

"What?" Negurin looked very perplexed by the question.

"Have ye noticed the way Rhenton's been actin' since ye started spending time with Tivari?"

"Not…really."

"Ah didn't think so. Negurin, he's miserable. Onric and Ah found him bawlin' his eyes out in a corner. And do ye know why?"

Negurin shook her head.

"Because ye broke his heart! The lad's in love with ye, Negurin. And here, ye go and spend all ye're time with someone ye met two days ago. Just imagine how he's feelin'."

Negurin stared at the Toa of Ice for a moment.

"He…loves me?" she asked, quietly.

"That he does, lass."

Negurin sat down, a look of shock on her face. After a moment, she spoke again.

"Dis is all my fault," she whispered. "If I hadn't spent do much time with Tivari…now Rhenton t'inks I'm in love wit' him. Why didn't he tell me how he felt?" she asked.

Tsonclad shrugged.

"Maybe, he feared rejection, maybe he though ye'd be happier with Tivari."

Negurin shook her head, a look of regret on her face.

"I see why he thought I'd fallen for Tivari," said Negurin, "I've just never had a friend who I could simply talk to before, wit'out having to dumb down what I'm saying. I guess I got a bit carried away. We've got to find Rhenton and get dis straightened out."

"That we do, lass," said Tsonclad. "That we do."


	16. Chapter 16

The Toa Tedra and other spent all that day searching for Rhenton, even going back to his shop to look, but the Menirun was nowhere to be found. Negurin finally had to go join the other technicians and help prepare the mega-portal for the attack. The others set about preparing for the attack, gathering armor and weapons and training with each other. While the rest of the MERAH was filled with the excitement of the coming battle, the Toa and their friends were somewhat less jubilant.

As nighttime came and Rhenton still had not shown up, Negurin began to suspect the worst.

"Lestra?" she whispered, facing the Toa in the bed next to her.

"Hmm?" replied the Lightning Toa.

"Where do you think Rhenton is?" asked the Menirun.

Lestra sighed.

"I wish I knew, Negurin. I really do."

* * *

As night lay over the capital of the Menirun Republic, a shadow flitted through the corridors of the Pyramid Penitentiary. The figure paused as a sound came from further down the hall. He paused, before the sound dissipated. Motioning to those behind him, Taiyu waited as Koth caught up with him.

"This our first target?" asked the Stone Toa.

Taiyu nodded.

"Do you think you can open the door without too much noise?" he asked.

Koth studied the stone structure for a moment.

"Yes," he replied, "but the wall would be much easier."

Nodding, Taiyu activated his Mask of Intangibility and slipped inside the cell. A few moments later, he stuck his hand out and motioned for Koth to follow. Placing a hand on the wall, Koth exerted his power of the blocks of stone that made up the wall, pushing a Toa-sized hole out of the wall. As he pushed the stones back into place, he turned to see a Menirun, sitting on his cot, a look of confusion on his face.

"Listen," said Koth, "we don't have much time, but we're with the resistance."

The Menirun's face instantly lit up.

"You've come to –"

Taiyu's hand flew over the Menirun's mouth.

"Shh!" he cautioned. "We're not here to break you out yet. Take this," he handed the Menirun a vial of blue clear liquid. "In a few days, we're still not sure when, we're going to break out. When we do, drink this. It will counteract the effects of Vorzhic venom. Put it somewhere where the guards won't find it."

The Menirun took the vial delicately.

"But, there's no place to hide this," he said.

Koth smiled and walked over to a brick on the wall. Flicking it with his finger, he grasped the brick and pulled it out, revealing the hollow space he had just created.

"There is now," he said.

As the Menirun thanked them profusely and the pair left the cell, Taiyu pulled out a checklist.

"One down…a lot more to go," he said.

Koth smiled wryly as he replaced the stones in the wall.

"S'gonna to be a long night," he said.

Once the stones were back in place, they moved down the corridor to their next target. Taiyu smiled as his thoughts wandered a bit.

"I'll be seeing you soon," he thought.

He touched his cheek, feeling the warm blush that had suddenly sprung to his cheeks. He silently thanked the Great Spirit that it was dark in the corridor, so Koth could not see his reddening face. Another stray thought flitted through his mind, something he had not considered until just then.

"What if she doesn't feel the same way?" he thought.

His sightless eyes gained a concerned look.

"What if I tell her, and she rejects me?"

The thought tugged at the corners of his heart and mind. He was so distracted that it took a tap on the shoulder to jolt him from his trance.

"Taiyu?" asked Koth.

"Huh?" Taiyu's head snapped up at the sound of Koth's voice.

"This is it."

"Oh, right."

As Taiyu phased through the wall, he could not stop thinking about the possibility of rejection.

"Mata Nui," he thought, "please, let her feel the same way."

He motioned Koth into the cell, hoping that things would work out the way he longed for them to.

"Please, Great Spirit, I'm not sure I can really live without her."

* * *

The next day, final preparations went underway for the rebels' attack. Things were running quite well as the Rebel army had become a well-oiled machine after years of guerrilla warfare. Yasec was speaking with his generals when he noticed two of the visiting Toa, Lestra and Tsonclad, approaching. He excused himself and moved to meet the Toa.

"General Yasec?" asked Lestra. "If we may be so bold, there is something we would like to ask."

"What is it, my friends?" asked the Menirun.

"We were wonderin' if we coold be a part o' the rescue mission goin' tae the prison, sir," replied Tsonclad. "Ah jest wouldna feel right leavin' mah brother there for someone else tae rescue."

"And do you feel de same way about your Vhalentain, miss?" asked Yasec.

Lestra nodded.

"My friends, I certainly appreciate de sentiment and understand de way you are feeling, but I'm afraid I must ask you to accompany de main force. You see, your particular talents will be much more useful, and we have many soldiers wit' far more experience in infiltration and rescue. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must say no."

The Toa sighed.

"Well thank you anyway, Yasec," said Lestra as they turned and left.

Yasec sighed.

"I hate to do that to them," he thought, "but I can't have anything go wrong. No…I can't have _anything _go wrong."

* * *

As the Toa returned to their friends, Tsonclad wondered about the still missing Rhenton.

"Ah un'erstand how Rhenton was feelin'," he thought, "but Ah didna think he'd be the type tae just up and leave. Ah certainly hope he's alright."

"So what did he say?" asked Onric as the pair rejoined the group.

"He still wants us on the main strike force," replied Lestra.

"Oh well," sighed Nianga, "at least you tried."

The group sat in silence for a few moments. Finally, Tivari spoke up.

"So, are you guys ready for this?" he asked. "I mean, we're going to be stepping onto an actual battlefield."

Another spell of silence fell over the group. Lestra spoke first.

"I've never been in a big army-against-army battle," she said. "But if joining this fight keeps my home and those I care about safe, I'm prepared to do whatever it takes."

The others nodded in affirmation.

"I think I speak for all of us," said Onric. "We're doing this for our home, our friends, and those we love. So, let's make this battle a fight to remember, a fight to tell around the Amaja circle, and most importantly, a fight that will bring peace to a war torn land."

Onric stuck out his fist, quickly joined by the other Toa. Nianga hesitated. Tsonclad turned to look at her.

"Ye're in this with us, lass. As far as we're concerned, ye're one o' us."

A smile of gratitude spread over the Naxan's muzzle as she placed her fist in the circle. As one, they bumped their fists at the center of their circle and drew their hands back. Moments later, Negurin round the corner.

"Guys, de troops are forming up at de portal," she said. "It's time to go."

The Toa got up and left for the main room. Nianga paused at the door, looking at the Menirun.

"Negurin?" she asked. "Why do you have a staff?"

"I'm coming wit' you guys," she replied.

Seeing Nianga's expression, she chuckled.

"What? Did you t'ink because I'm a technician dat I couldn't fight?"

"Well, sort of, I guess. Well, let's go."

As the two females left to follow their Toa companions, Negurin's thoughts turned once more to Rhenton, as they had so many times that day.

"Rhenton, I can't say dat I loved you, but you were one of my closest friends. I don't know where you've gone, but please just come back. You don't know how much you are missed."

As the pair entered the main room, they moved towards the troop forming at the portal.

"Dis is it," thought Negurin. "Today, we end dis war."


	17. Chapter 17

"…Now go, and free your land from his tyranny!"

A cheer ran though the assembled troops as Yasec finished his speech. Onric stood near the head of the crowd, just a dozen bio away from the rebel's gigantic portal. He mentally ran over the plan of attack that Yasec had laid out for his troops. The group Onric stood with, the largest squadron, was to be teleported to the king's palace and was to try to capture the king. While they were creating this diversion, other squadrons, with along with the other Toa Tedra, would be teleported to the various factories around the capital city which they would then destroy, simultaneously exposing and crippling King Yuniro's war plans.

His attention was diverted to the portal in front of him, as its many facets sprung to life. Energy pooled and swirled within the ring with ever increasing intensity, small arcs of power leaping from the portal's surface. Mere moments after activation, the portal had quieted to a pool of white energy. Onric looked up at one of the Menirun technicians standing near the portal, who was bent over a panel, deciphering its readouts. The technician held up a hand, then pointed towards the crowd, signaling the all clear.

The Toa of Fire and the Menirun surrounding him broke into a run and launched themselves through the portal. Onric gasped as he felt the portal's energy take a hold of him and pull him in. As he passed the surface of the portal, he felt as though his entire body was being pulled apart, molecule by molecule, but surprisingly, there was no pain in the act. Instants later, he felt himself whizzing forward at a blinding rate through a tunnel of energy colored with every hue imaginable. Time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. When he felt the sensation of solidity again, he could not tell if he had been in an immaterial state for a second or a year, but as he felt his molecules reassembling, he forced his mind to focus on the task at hand.

As Onric's feet touched solid ground once again, he took off at a run, taking stock of his surrounding as he went. The rebel's portal had opened directly into the king's palace courtyard, with the palace directly in front of them. The palace lay in the flatlands a good ways away from the city. It seemed the king liked his privacy, though Onric was sure he other motives as well. Once he was far enough away that he would not be trampled by more incoming troops, he turned to look back at the portal. The swirling mass of energy stood suspended about half a bio from the ground. For a moment, he was amazed at the knowledge that had gone into creating such a thing. Rather than rely on the somewhat fickle power of Kanohi, the Menirun had developed a means to cut through the fabric of space by technological means alone. The Vehle portals that had first granted them their hiding place in the Field of Shadows had required a gate on both ends to cross from one dimension to the next, whereas the Menirun had created a gateway that needed no fixed exit point and could be altered to open anywhere they pleased, surpassing the ancient race's design in terms of mobility. The portal, however, drew massive amounts of energy when activated and was highly visible, which was why the rebel army only used it at such a time as this.

As the final soldier dropped from the portal and it shrunk out of existence, Onric whispered a silent prayer that this attack would put an end to this nation's troubles and that his brothers and friends would emerge safe and unscathed from the conflict. He turned towards the palace, looking towards the Menirun leading the attack and waiting for his signal. The plan was simple, attack the palace from three sides, forcing anyone fleeing into the courtyard, where they could be fought out in the open, or into the upper levels, where they could be fought into a corner. The commander stood tall and began to bark orders.

"Alright troops! Squads A, B, and C, around ba –"

He never got to finish his orders as a blade suddenly protruded from his chest. A flicker in the air behind the commander faded as a Vonatii, wearing a Great Kanohi Volitak, appeared.

"Hello rebels," he said, his voice dripping with malice, "welcome to your doom."

In that instant, the ground began to shake. The quake seemed to grow in intensity as half a dozen sections of the courtyard began to rise. Beings began to spring from the all over the courtyard as the rising sections fell away to reveal war machines of varying sizes. Onric's eyes grew wide as he saw the insignia on each and every soldier and machine emerging around them. The deep purple crown and sword stood for one thing, the Menirun loyalist army. Nearly two thousand rebel Menirun looked around in fear as an army twice their size appeared around them.

"I applaud you, rebels," said a loud voice, coming from the palace.

The rebels turned as one to see a tall figure standing atop one of largest war machines. Even in the darkness of night, Onric saw the glistening crown that sat atop the figure's head. It was King Yuniro himself.

"Your leader, Yasec, has engineered an ingenious plan," he continued, "send half his force here to distract me while he sends the rest to destroy my factories elsewhere. I'm afraid, however, that he failed to realize just how much I knew about his plans. I'd tell you all just how I managed to pull this off, but I've never been one for speeches. Now, those of you loyal to me and my authority, prove yourselves worthy to bear the symbol of your republic. Attack!"

* * *

Lestra watched as the last squad, her squad, began to run for the portal. A part of her, the warrior side, could not wait for a chance at battle. Another part, her gentler, more caring side, was still a bit apprehensive. As she touched the energy field and was swept through to the other side, she readied herself, preparing for the battle that doubtless lay on the other side. At the instant the other side appeared in her field of vision, she drew her sword and summoned her elemental energies, sparks crackling down the blade's edges. She saw before her a large building, just before leaving the MERAH, the commander had said that this was the warehouse where Yuniro was keeping some of his war machines. Lestra's smile took on a slightly devilish look as she imagined herself dismantling the machines in a rather explosive fashion.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of heavy machinery around her. Before her startled eyes, pylons rose from the ground surrounding the squad of rebels and the building they stood near. Energy lanced between the pillars, and, moments later, a giant dome of energy formed over them. Even as that happened the roof of the building opened, and something large and dangerous rose from inside. Lestra did not need a history in warfare to know that she was staring at one of Yuniro's war machines. Before she could process just what had happened, a voice, booming from atop the machine caught her attention.

"I must congratulate you, rebels," said the voice.

Lestra looked up, to see a female Vortixx standing on the machine's roof.

"You have proved yourselves more gullible than I could have imagined," she exclaimed. "My lord Yuniro has known of your plans since their very inception, isn't that right, 'Tancharo'?"

The squad of fifty turned towards the Shivri that stood among them. A laugh escaped the being's mouth as he turned into a smoke hawk and flew up to join the Vortixx. At that moment, the doors of the building opened, and loyalist troops began to pour out. When the doors closed, nearly two hundred troops had surrounded the rebel squad.

"You see," said the Vortixx, "my Shivri friend here took the place of your loyal security guard nearly three years ago. Since then, he has allowed dozens of spies into your ranks, and they in turn stole secrets and information out from beneath your very fingertips."

A bolt of energy flew past the Vortixx's face.

"Enough Teleru!" exclaimed the rebel squad's leader, brandishing his energy rifle. "What do you want with us?"

The Vortixx cracked a smile.

"Why the same thing as my master, to crush you all into a miserable pulp, and what better way to do that than by gathering you all together and smashing you all at once. And thanks to the portal technology taken from your rebel base," she said, pulling a small device from her side, "we can make that happen now."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As the Vortixx activated the device, the energy snaking above them all began to glow brighter and brighter. Lestra shielded her eyes as the intensity grew too great for her eyes to handle. When the light finally faded, she looked around. She saw that the scenery around her had changed. Instead of a city, there was flat open land. Around her, several other building stood tall on the flat plain, each with a group of beings surrounding it. She gasped when she saw the distinctive outline of the king's palace. She saw (and felt) a large explosion coming from inside the wall.

"Onric!" she cried.

But before she could rush towards the palace, she found herself grappling with a Menirun swordsman. Lestra powered her energy through her sword, sending a shock through the Menirun's systems as their swords clashed. Seeing a lance approaching from her right, she whirled and parried the weapon, before aiming a solid kick at the wielder's head. A moment later, her mask alerted her of something approaching from behind. She rolled to one side, just as a bolt of Cordak missile flew where her head had been. Scanning with her mask, she found the soldier wielding the missile launcher. Taking a running leap, she bounded off the back of a loyalist and flew through the air. She brought her sword down hard as it connected with the missile launcher, and the launcher exploded. Lestra was thrown back from the force, but was able to absorb most the impact, curling into a ball and rolling as she landed. Power lanced from her hand as she zapped an approaching loyalist. She gained a brief respite and looked around. It seemed, for all appearance, that the rebels were badly outnumbered on all fronts, whether around the buildings that had teleported here or at the palace itself.

"We're doomed," she thought, bringing up her sword to block an axe-wielding Vortixx.

Sending another shock through the being's system, she launched several bolts into the crowd, felling a number of loyalists. A blow to her back took her by surprise, and she fell forward. She turned to see a Steltian bruiser, wielding a rather large blaster, aiming for her. She rolled to one side and was about to retaliate when a blinding flash of light came from behind her.

"Another building?" she thought.

But then she noticed that the light was different than that which had brought her here. She turned to see a giant crowd of beings had suddenly appeared. Unsure of what to make of it, she turned to see the bruiser had been blinded by the flash of light. Taking advantage of the distraction, she fired a large lightning bolt at the brute, knocking it off its feet. She was about to turn to fight again, when a voice caught her attention. It was barely noticeable above the din of battle, but it caused her to pause. She listened, and it came again.

"Lestra!"

It was still faint, but it was still recognizable.

"No, it can't be," she thought.

She looked out at the crowd of beings that had appeared just now. She began to move through the crowd, swatting away any being that stood in her way.

"Lestra!"

The voice came again. This time, she was in no doubt.

"Cedrak!" she cried. "Cedrak!"

"Lestra!"

She caught a glimpse of an energy arrow streaking into the sky. She fires a bolt of lightning skyward in response.

"Cedrak!" she shouted.

Moments later, she saw him through the crowd. They pushed through the hordes of allies and enemies, until they found each other face to face. Wasting not a moment, Cedrak cast a force field around them both, gathered her in his arms, and kissed her. Lestra wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with a passion that only days of worry and the relief of finding your loved one safe can grant a being. Tears of joy and relief ran down Cedrak's face, while Lestra melted at the feeling of his arms around her. The din of battle ceased to register as they became lost in each other's embrace and the love that they shared. At last, they broke their kiss, and Lestra whispered in Cedrak ear.

"As much as I hate to say it," she said, "there are some beings outside that need our help."

A chuckle shook Cedrak's form as he kissed her once more.

"That's my girl," he whispered.

The pair stared at each other for a moment longer, then drew their weapons as one. Turning back to back, Cedrak dropped the forcefield and snapped an arrow at the nearest loyalist. Lestra's lightning flew with new strength. She did not know the outcome of this battle, but she knew that, when her love was beside her, facing death along with her, there was nothing that could stop them. Nothing in this world, or any other.

* * *

Tivari threw up a forcefield, and a Menirun warrior bounced off it. Switching his robotic arm to his energy cannon, he fired a dozen shots into the loyalist ranks. Quickly switching to his blade, he whirled and blocked a loyalist Cuartan's blade. Too late, he saw one of its other arms coming towards him. A boulder flew past his field of vision, taking the Cuartan with it. Tivari smiled as Koth landed next to him and summoned a plethora of stalagmites from the ground.

"Thanks for the assist, brother," said the Toa of Gravity.

"No problem," said Koth, "I always was partial to dramatic entrances."

Tivari erased the gravity of a group of loyalist soldiers, while Koth created stone shackles for another dozen.

"So, who are all those people, and how did you get here?" asked Tivari.

Koth shouted and tackled Tivari as a flying Kanoka disk whizzed through where the Toa of Gravity had been.

"Less talking, more fighting," he said, willing a boulder to fly at the Kanoka's launcher.

* * *

Tsonclad was in his element. Having spent Matoran life and his first years as a Toa in the Northern Mountains, he had learned to be a fighter early on. With a harsh climate, vicious Rahi, and unforgiving terrain, it was a place where only the strong survived. When his squad had discovered the king's double cross, he had not been overly concerned. He knew the world was harsh and cruel and often acted as such, but deep down, he believed that, given the opportunity, that which was good and just in the world would triumph over that which was evil and cruel.

A crash behind him, along with the sound of dozens of retreating feet caused him to turn. A giant war machine was barring towards him, topped with dozens of launchers and dozens of Menirun loyalists manning them. Tsonclad gritted his teeth and raced towards it, summoning an ice slide as he went. Picking up speed as he approached, he fired a few icy darts at the soldiers on top. Three of them fell from their perches.

"Twenty-six!" exclaimed the Toa of Ice. "Twenty-seven, twenty-eight! Ah wonder how many Onric's gotten?"

The two Toa had made a bet, to see who could down the most enemies by the end of the night. Tsonclad smiled. He had only known the Fire Toa for a few days, but he already felt a sort of kinship with him. Both were warriors, through and through.

"Ah'll certainly miss the blighter once we've left," he thought.

Tsonclad leapt from his slide and drove his sword into the side of its leg. The four-legged metal behemoth lumbered on, taking no notice of the Toa on its side. Creating handholds of ice, Tsonclad hauled himself up its side. As he neared the top, one of the guards noticed him. As he turned his launcher towards him, Tsonclad willed a block of ice to fill the end of the weapon. Moments later, the blaster exploded, taking the Menirun with it. Tsonclad hauled himself over the edge and drew his sword once more. Moments later, a virtual ice storm raged atop the war machine. Within moments, half of the Menirun were frozen solid in an instant, the other half were knocked unconscious or impaled by flying ice shards. Taking a running start, Tsonclad leapt over the front of the vehicle and landed on the cockpit roof. Smashing a hole in the metal roof, he pulled the pilot out and tossed him over the edge. Jumping down into the cockpit, he took a look at the controls. After a few moments, he shrugged and grasped the steering wheel. Turning it sharply to the right, he aimed the war machine at one of the others. The two collided, and the one that was rammed began to topple over. Tsonclad looked over the falling machine.

"Ah'll just say twenty fer that one," he thought.

The next moment, the machine Tsonclad was piloting began to topple as well, having tripped over its fallen comrade. The Ice Toa leapt up through the roof and descended with the falling machine. As it struck the ground and exploded, Tsonclad formed an ice slide and slid to the bottom along the pile of wreckage. As he came to a stop, he turned and looked back. He smiled, then paused in thought. He snapped his fingers, a disappointed look on his face.

"But that still only counts as one," he thought.


	19. Chapter 19

Taiyu stood nearly motionless amongst the sea of fighters. Focusing all his energy into his elemental abilities, pillars of ice smashed their way upwards and came crashing down, while chunks of ice appeared in midair and hurtled towards their targets. The din of the battle, the clang of clashing swords, the echo of blaster fire, the dull thuds of the warm machines' footsteps – they all made his "vision" more clear than it had ever been before. A loyalist airship flew overhead, causing Taiyu to send a large ice shard up towards it. The airship swerved, avoiding the flying iceberg, and close to a dozen spherical objects dropped from its underbelly. Taiyu's eyes grew wide as he "saw" the bombs dropping and summoned another dozen shards of ice. Launching them skywards with a thought, he directed them at the falling objects. One, two, three bombs detonated midair. Four, five, six, seven followed moments later. Eight, nine, ten –

The final explosive landed mere bio from the Toa, hurtling him and all those near him into the air. Moments later, he crashed down amongst the fighters. He laid there, pain shooting through his body, as the battle raged around him. His ears rang from the blast, his perception clouded by the sound. He slowly rose to his feet, but was unable to distinguish a thing. Suddenly, he felt something smash against his side, and he was sent flying though the air. He crashed again, his ears still ringing. Moments later, he heard a set of gigantic footsteps fast approaching, and he was flung in the air once again. He smashed into another being, who tossed him away with a cry. Taiyu's perception was slowly clearing, but the world still seemed fuzzy. He heard the footsteps again and saw a large massive being approaching. He willed himself intangible for a brief moment, and the being's weapon passed through him. The pain in his side flared up again, just as the being's weapon pulled away, causing him to lose focus on his mask, and it took a chunk of flesh and armor with it. Taiyu cried out in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his side. He sensed the being raise its arms and bring it down on him. He cringed, waiting for impact. He heard the crunch of metal piercing armor, but felt no more pain. It was then he noticed the other being standing in front of him. Its back was to him, it arms outstretched. He then noticed the spear protruding from its back, and the tail hanging limp between its legs.

"Nianga?" he asked, hoping against hope that he was wrong.

The Naxan turned towards him.

"Hi, Taiyu," she breathed, moments before the attacking Steltian bruiser threw her aside.

"Stupid Naxan," muttered the large being.

Rage flared through Taiyu's mind and body, and he hurled himself at the bruiser and knocked it over. Forming icy blocks around his fists, he belted the being across the face, once, twice, three times. Lashing out with his powers, he catapulted the being into the air. Turning, he rushed towards Nianga's prone form. Forming a protective shield of ice around them, he knelt and picked up her limp form, and felt the enormous wound that ran through her midsection. He could hear the blood dripping from her back and felt it on his hand as he held her chest to his ear, listening for a breath. It was shallow and quick, and the faint sound of her heartlight seemed to sputter. Tears formed in Taiyu's eyes as he held her.

"What I say next might be the last thing she hears," he thought.

"Nianga," he said, "I'm sorry."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. A tear ran down his cheek as he spoke again.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you," he continued, "and…I love you, Nianga. I love you," he sobbed. "I'm sorry I never told you! I love you, Nianga! Please, please don't leave me!"

He sat on the ground beneath his ice shelter, weeping, for what seemed an eternity. Then he heard a voice.

"…Taiyu?"

Taiyu quickly turned his attention to the being in his arms.

"Nianga?" he asked, hoping against hope that she had somehow made it.

"Got my…navel pierced…you like it?" she muttered, trying to smile.

"Nianga! Can you breathe? Say something else!"

"Don't feel…so good…"

"Nianga, stay with me! Please, I need you here. Don't go following any lights or anything, okay?"

Nianga grunted in response. A sigh of relief passed Taiyu's lips as he placed a hand on her wound.

"Nianga, I'm going to ice your wound, okay? It's going to hurt, but it'll stop the bleeding."

"…okay…"

Taiyu slowly willed his ice into Nianga's wound. The cry of pain that escaped her throat nearly caused him to lose control of his power. Once her wound was blocked, he held her close and activated his Mask of Intangibility, sharing its power with the Naxan.

"Let's get you out of here," he said, vanishing into the ground.

Minutes later, the pair reappeared a fair distance away from the battle. Kneeling, Taiyu laid Nianga down against a boulder. He then bent and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll be back," he said.

The Toa hovered over her for a moment longer. Then, summoning an ice slide, he rushed off to rejoin the battle.

* * *

As the light of dawn broke over the eastern sky, the battle field was slowly bathed in a pale pink luminescence. Negurin twirled her staff and struck a charging loyalist across the face. As the soldier fell to the ground, she paused to look around. The battle was winding to a close, only a few pockets of troops were still fighting, and the loyalists had, for the most part, either surrendered or been slain in the battle. Only two of King Yuniro's war machines remained standing, and they had succumbed to a great deal of damage. There were no other soldiers near her, so she leaned on her staff, resting for a moment. She mulled over the night's events. Yuniro's counter spying had come as a complete surprise to the technician, but so had the sudden arrival of a motley crew of nearly two thousand other beings.

"I wonder just who dey are," she wondered.

She had yet to find out where they had come from, but she planned to find out soon. Upon spotting a small group of rebel troops, she began to make her way towards them. As she came near a pile of smoking wreckage, she suddenly felt a hand clap over her mouth and another restrain one of her arms behind her back.

"I'm afraid you're coming with me, missy," said an unusually civil voice behind her.

An invisible force wrenched her staff from her hands and tossed it aside. Negurin looked behind herself, but was unable to see anything. The voice spoke again.

"I can't get out of this place on my own, but I know you can."

She suddenly felt a sharp blade poke her in the back.

"You're going to help me get away from here, or I end your pitiful existence. Are we clear?"

Negurin nodded once, now knowing who it was that held her captive was.

"Of course, sir," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words, "how may I best serve my king?"


	20. Chapter 20

Onric struck down one final loyalist before straightening up. The sun was rising, and the loyalist army was in retreat, scattered in all directions. He moved out through the palace gates to see the remains of the battle. All around, pockets of rebel fighters were forming, leaning on each other and tending to each other's wounds. Feeling a tap on the shoulder, he turned to see a smiling Yasec, hefting a sword to his shoulder.

"I think we did alright, Yasec," said the Toa of Fire.

The rebel leader nodded.

"Indeed, t'anks to you and your team's help," he said. "T'ank you, Onric."

"You're welcome."

Yasec and Onric moved towards a boulder a short distance from the palace entrance. As the rebel leader clambered onto the large stone, Onric fired a flare into the air, the signal to gather. As rebels all over the battle field began to move in their direction, Onric sighed.

"I hope this is the end of this war," he thought. "The thought of more beings hurt or slain, no matter how just the cause…well, I guess we'll see."

* * *

Tsonclad looked up to see a bright flash of fire in the sky and began to make his way towards it. Strapping his sword to his back, he put out an ice slide and began skating towards the meeting point at a leisurely pace. Soon, he noticed came across another, half-melted ice slide. Tsonclad looked at it, a bit perplexed, then proceeded to follow it, as it was leading in the general direction of the gathering point. Finally, he came to the end and found himself amongst the wounded. Dozens of injured beings were laid out on the ground, being tended to by the rebels' healers. Tsonclad tapped one of the healers on the shoulder.

"Excuse meh, lass," he asked the female Cuartan, "but did another Ice Toa come here?"

The healer wordlessly pointed one of her four arms as she went back to tending a Menirun soldier. Tsonclad thanked her and went in the direction she indicated. He made his way around a group of soldiers and stopped short when he saw Taiyu hunched over on the ground.

"Taiyu!" he exclaimed, rushing to his brother's side.

"Hello, Tsonclad," said Taiyu, his voice carrying a mournful tone.

"Are ye hurt?" asked Tsonclad, kneeling beside his brother.

"No," replied the blind Toa, "but she is."

It was at this moment that Tsonclad noticed the other being lying next to his brother. He gasped when he saw Nianga, lying unconscious, her entire midsection swathed in red-stained bandages.

"She saved me," Taiyu murmured, "She took a spear through the stomach for me, but all I could do was freeze her wound. I got her away from the battle, but when I got back, the ice had almost all melted. When I picked her up, she was so cold. I could barely hear her breathing and her heartbeat…" The Toa of Ice's voice trailed off as tears began to run down his already damp face.

"They're not sure if she'll make it," he said. "She might…"

The Toa's unseeing eyes shut as his body began to shake. Tsonclad put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort his brother.

"She'll make it through, ye'll see," he said, trying to sound confident.

"But what if she doesn't?" Taiyu suddenly burst out. "She'll never know! And…I'll never know."

"Know what?"

"She –" Taiyu stammered, "she'll never know that I love her, and…I'll never know if she loves me."

Tsonclad's eyes grew wide for a moment, then he smiled, in spite of himself.

"Well, that explains a few things," he thought.

"Taiyu, Ah –"

"Nianga!" came a cry from their right.

Tsonclad turned to see Lestra rushing towards them, practically dragging a concerned-looking Cedrak behind her.

"Is she alright?" asked the Lightning Toa, as she and Cedrak came up to the small group.

"They're no' sure if she'll make it," replied Tsonclad.

Cedrak placed a hand on Taiyu's shoulder.

"Taiyu," he asked, "is this her?"

The sightless Toa's lip quivered as he nodded his head. Cedrak sighed and then turned towards the injured Naxan. He began to carefully pull back her bandages, slowly exposing the wound.

"Excuse me?" said a nearby healer. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm a healer myself, ma'am," replied the Skakdi, turning his attention back to Nianga.

"Well, I don't see what more you can –"

The healer stopped short when he saw Cedrak's eyebeams contact the wound. Armor and tissue moved to fill the hole in the Naxan's body, repairing itself at an astounding rate. Within moments, the wound was gone entirely, only a faint discoloration in her organic tissue gave any indication there had been anything there. The Vortixx healer turned to Cedrak, mouth agape.

"Could – could you help us?" he stammered.

Cedrak turned to Lestra.

"Do you mind if I leave you alone again?" he asked his Vhalentain.

Lestra smiled.

"As long as you don't get into trouble," she said.

Cedrak leaned in to kiss her, before going off with the healer. Lestra sighed as he left.

"Are ye alright, Lestra?" asked Tsonclad.

Lestra nodded.

"I just can't shake the feeling that something else is going to happen," she said. "I guess I've just gotten a bit paranoid, with him gone for so long."

"So long?" Tsonclad chuckled. "'Tis only been a few days since he and Taiyu here were…"

His voice trailed off, not wanting to think of his brother behind bars again. A contented sigh reached his ears, and he and Lestra turned to see Taiyu lying down on the ground, next to Nianga. His eyes were closed, his breathing was easy now, and one of his hands was wrapped around Nianga's. Lestra smiled and chuckled.

"Poor guy," she said, "he's all worn out."

"Ah know Ah'd be in his armor," said Tsonclad.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it seems Taiyu's got a bit a thing for Nianga here. First, he thinks she's going tae die, and then she gets miraculously saved. Ah'm pretty sure Ah'd be worn out, too."

"I can still hear you, you know," Taiyu said, a smile playing across his face. "And just because I told you, Tsonclad, doesn't mean you can tell everyone."

Lestra chuckled at the embarrassed look on Tsonclad's face.

"Oh Taiyu," she said, "to tell you the truth, it wasn't much of a surprise."

"What do you mean?" the blind Toa asked, pushing himself up onto an elbow.

"Well, she –"

Lestra's thoughts were cut off at the sight of three Toa approaching. On the left was Koth, a genuine smile stretching across his Kakama. On the right was Tivari, his robotic arm sputtering in a few places. And in between them stood a Toa of Air. Lestra looked on as the trio approached, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. But as they got closer, and she could see into his eyes, she knew she had not gone crazy from the battle. The Toa of Lightning sat in rapt shock before leaping to her feet.

"Rysavy!" she cried.

She rushed at the Air Toa and bowled him over, nearly causing the other two to topple over with them. She clung to her long lost brother like a Brakas to its dinner, laughing and crying as years of worry and wonder spilled out of her heart.

"Urmph! Good to see you to, Lestra," he managed to wheeze, the impact having knocked the air from his lungs.

"Where have you been all this time, you big windbag?" she exclaimed.

"It's a long story," replied Tivari, helping to pull the pair to their feet, "one we might need to hear later. Yasec looks like he's going to make a speech."

Lestra was smiling from ear to ear as they made their way back towards Tsonclad and Taiyu. As introductions were made, Lestra happened to glance to her left and caught a glimpse of Negurin, further away in the crowd. She called out and waved to the female Menirun, who turned at the sound of her voice. Negurin's already large eyes grew even wider, and she rushed away through the crowd. Lestra stared after her, unsure of what she had just seen. She excused herself from the other Toa and ran after her Menirun friend. Making use of her Arthron, she was able to find her, even through the crowds of beings now swarming around. She vaguely heard Yasec's voice in the background.

"Whatever it is he's saying," she thought, "I can find out from the others later."

Finally, she came to the outskirts of the crowd and caught a glimpse of Negurin disappearing behind a large boulder. She began to follow her, then paused.

"Why would she run off like that," she thought, "unless she was in some kind of trouble?"

She crossed the distance between the crowd and the boulder, quietly and slowly. When she arrived at the large rock, she activated her mask, and moments later, her suspicions gained credence, as she could sense two beings behind the boulder. The Toa inched closer to the side and listened closely.

"And you are sure that no one you knew saw you?" said an unfamiliar voice.

"I am sure," replied Negurin, her voice betraying no lie.

"Very well, once you've bandaged this wound, we shall be on our way. Am I clear?"

"Completely, your majesty," Negurin replied, her voice continuing to be flat.

Lestra stood stock still and stopped just short of bolting back for the crowd. She again crossed the distance between the boulder and the crowd very quietly, not taking her eyes off the edges of the rock. When she reached the crowd, she rushed back towards the other Toa.

"The king is still out there," she thought, "and he has Negurin. We've got to save her."


	21. Chapter 21

As Lestra weaved her way back through the crowd, she tried to keep her composure as calm as possible.

"No need to get others panicked," she said to herself.

She arrived back at the group of Toa to find Tsonclad and Onric bickering, the others watching in bemusement.

"What d'ye mean those dinna count?" asked the ice Toa, incredulously.

"I'm saying you can't count those things as enemies," replied Onric, his arms crossed in front of him. "We specifically agreed on 'foes,' not –"

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Tsonclad. "D'ye know what Ah went through to get those down?"

"What's going on?" asked Lestra, arriving beside them.

"Tsonclad claims he won their little bet," said Koth, "but Onric thinks otherwise."

"Well, what's the count?" asked Rysavy, who had by now been introduced to everyone.

"I've got seventy-six, and Tsonclad has seventy-five," replied Onric.

"Where's the discrepancy?" asked Tivari.

"Tsonclad wants to count the two war machines he took down, bringing his total to seventy-seven," replied Koth.

"Yes, but those weren't enemies, those were vehicles. We agreed –"

"Oh get o'er yerself, Onric. Those were –"

"Ahem," Lestra cleared her throat, interrupting the erupting discussion, "I hate to interrupt this…lovely banter, but we have bigger problems right now."

"Such as?" asked Koth.

Lestra bent forward and motioned for a huddle. The others followed suit, though still of what was going on. Once everyone was hunched over, Lestra spoke again, in a hushed voice.

"See that boulder over that way?" she motioned with her head. "I spotted Negurin going behind there, and she apparently has company, King Yuniro is holding her prisoner."

"What?" Tsonclad exclaimed, straightening up.

"Shh!" the others cautioned as Onric pulled him back down.

"Is this a friend of yours?" asked Rysavy.

The others nodded.

"I don't want to cause a panic by all of us rushing off at once," said Lestra.

"Maybe only a few of us should go," said Tivari. "I'm sure three Toa can handle one Menirun."

"Excellent point, Tivari," said Onric. "Lestra, take Tivari and Tsonclad with you, and be careful."

"We will," replied the Lighting Toa.

As they turned to depart, Tsonclad shot back at Onric, "Ah still won, ye know!"

Lestra shook her head as she led the other two towards the place where she had last seen the king and his hostage. When they arrived, Lestra activated her mask once more.

"They're gone," she said as she headed around the other side.

As they rounded the other side, they looked to see if there was any indication of where they had gone. Tsonclad bent down and examined the ground. After a few moments, he began walking in one direction.

"They went this way," he said.

"How can you tell?" asked Tivari, following the Ice Toa.

"Ah'm followin' their tracks," he replied. "Ye dinna survive in the Northern Mountains long if ye canna take a beast."

The trio followed the pair of fresh track that led away from the battle zone and the congregation of rebel forces. They soon saw they were heading for a small group of trees, and the tracks led right to it. When they arrived at the edge of the small grove, they paused as Lestra again activated her mask.

"No one's here," she said, "but there's something in there besides trees."

Intrigued, they entered the grove and, after pushing past a dense thicket, stopped dead in their tracks. Before them stood a large stone archway, an archway that looked exactly like the Vehle portals Negurin had told them about. After getting over the initial shock, Tsonclad bent down and studied the ground for a moment.

"They went through it," he said.

After a moment, Tivari moved towards the archway and began examining it.

"No wonder he went after Negurin," he said. "She's about the only one who knows much about these."

"Can you get it to work?"asked Lestra.

Tivari paused as he came across a hand-shaped indention in the archway. Hesitantly, he placed his palm on the smooth stone. The indentation began to glow a light blue, and moments later, the glow began to spread to the other symbols that were carved into the stone. Within seconds, the stone was covered with glowing blue symbols, and the image within its center began to change. The shapes and colors of the trees began to dim and blur until nothing remained but a deep, dark shadow within the archway. The Toa looked at each other hesitantly, before Lestra took the first step forward. Tivari held out his hand.

"Let me go first," he said.

The Lightning Toa nodded and allowed her purple-armored brother to go ahead of her. He paused at the archway and pulled something off of his robotic arm. He clamped it on the side of his mask and pushed a button. A beam of light radiated from the front of it, and he stepped through the archway, disappearing into the darkness. Moments later, he reappeared.

"It's safe," he said, motioning the others in.

The other two followed the Tivari through the archway, feeling a slight tingle run over their bodies as they passed the threshold. As they passed through, they found themselves in almost complete darkness. What little light passed through the portal was quickly dispelled by the overbearing darkness. Tivari's headlight only illuminated the air in a narrow beam, doing little to alter the atmosphere of the place. Drawing her sword, Lestra held in up and ran a strong current up its length.

"D'ye think this is wise?" asked Tsonclad. "We're practically sittin' ducks oot here, shinin' these lights around."

"Well, we can't exactly find them in the dark," said Lestra, adding a bit more current to her makeshift torch.

"Aha, that'd be true, speaking of which…"

Tsonclad bent down and studied the rocky ground under their feet. He then noticed the highly visible footprints leading away.

"That way," he said, pointing towards their left.

The trio walked off slowly, following the very evident trail. Dust lay think on the ground, once they had gotten further away from the gate. The trail led onward, until they saw a glow in the distance. The orange light flickered and shimmered.

"It's a fire," said Tivari, once they had gotten closer.

They continued closer until they found themselves behind a boulder, with the fire just on the other side.

"That'll give us an advantage," said Tsoclad. "With them near the fire, their eyes will hae adjusted tae the fire's light. They won't see us comin'."

"Oh, is that so?" said a voice behind them.

The Toa turned as one and jumped away just in time to have three daggers fly through the air where they had been standing.

"So, Yasec sends his Toa goons to finish the job," said the voice, mockingly.

"Who's there?" asked Lestra, arcing more energy down her sword.

"I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting," said the voice, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "I am King Yuniro."

"Where are ye?" Come oot an' fight, ye coward!" cried Tsonclad.

The king replied, "Oh, and I suppose this is the part where I drop my invisibility and say, 'I'm no coward. I don't have to hide to defeat you.' Please, I'm no fool."

A sudden blow to Tsonclad's chest launched him backwards into Lestra. The shock of the force caused Lestra to drop her sword, a few sparks sputtering off the end as it hit the ground. Tsonclad rolled off her as she activated her mask. She "saw" a fourth body now moving towards her. She flipped over quickly and launched a lightning bolt at the spot. A cry of pain rang out as a tall Menirun sputtered into visibility, his deep grey armor reflecting the fire's light. He glared at the Toa.

"Should have taken that mask from you first, missy," he said, his voice flat with annoyance.

He silently pulled a pair of daggers from his sides and twirled them in his fingers. He beckoned to the Toa, essentially saying, "Bring it on."

The Toa hesitated for a moment.

"Is this really fair?" thought Lestra. "Three on one?"

Her question was answered when one of the daggers buried itself in Tivari's shoulder. As the Toa of Gravity cried out in pain, Yuniro smirked.

"Do you think I made this far by playing fair?" he asked, pulling another dagger from his belt. "Come on!"

Lestra's eyes grew bright with anger as she grabbed her sword and blasted another bolt at the Menirun. To her surprise, he bent backward too fast for her eyes to follow.

"Rahkshi Dodge," said Yuniro, quietly.

Tsonclad fired dozens of ice blocks at the king. He sliced through each in turn, forcing them all away from his body.

"Naxan Slicer," he said.

The king hurled a dagger at Lestra. She managed to barely dodge the flying blade, only to be impaled by a second as she came to rest. Lestra's cry of pain almost drowned out Yuniro's voice.

"Cuartan Anticipation."

By now, Tivari had managed to get up, the pain in his shoulder still throbbing. He reached out with his elemental powers, trying to increase Yuniro's personal gravity, but to his surprise, he felt as though his powers had deserted him.

"Surprised?" asked Yuniro. "These blades are coated with Vorzhic venom. I'm sure you know what that does."

While lying on the ground, Lestra tried to fire a bolt of lightning with similar results.

"They're also coated with another concoction," said Yuniro, brandishing another pair, "that will force you into unconsciousness in less than a minute. Your friend over there learned that the hard way."

The Toa looked and, for the first time, noticed the prone figure of Negurin, resting by the fire.

"You spawn of a Kavinika!" cried Tsonclad as he launched himself at the king.

With grace and ease that could only be seen to be believed, Yuniro dodged every attack Tsonclad threw at him and landed blows on the Toa's body, all the while naming off his executions.

"Cuartan Tri-Spin, Naxan Wolf Strike, Aviena Wing Defense, Menirun Thunder Kick, Protodrake Punch, Phase Dragon Slide."

"Shut up, shut up, shut UP!" cried Tsonclad, as he tried in vain to fight the Menirun, even as his mind began to slip away from him from the venom-laced wounds on his body.

"I think it only fair to tell you," said Yuniro, deftly dodging another feeble punch, "that I achieved the highest rank of Menirun reflexes years before I became king. I have trained to become even better throughout my time as ruler and have studied the martial arts of every known culture and race."

Yuniro looked down at Tsonclad as he collapsed on the ground, trying in vain to hold onto consciousness.

"It's a pity though," he said, bending down to put his face in front of Tsonclad's mask. "I was hoping for more of a challenge. It's a real shame that you won't live to see my triumphant return to Diagirr. That little extra reinforcement trick you rebels pulled was…unexpected, but nothing I can't handle. No, this just proves how low you rebels are willing to go, tricking your adversaries into a false sense of security. This war isn't over, not while I still breathe."

"Den maybe," said a new voice, anger seeping into every syllable, "it is time you stopped bread'ing."

Yuniro turned around in shock. Crouching by the fire was another Menirun, cradling Negurin's head in his arms. His green armor seemed to shine with an unnatural shade in the red glow of the fire. And when Yuniro's gaze fell to the Menirun's eyes, he saw the light of hatred so fierce, that he took a step backwards in apprehension.

"Wh– who are you?" he asked, a slight tremor tainting his voice.

"My name is Rhenton," said the Menriun, gently laying the unconscious Negurin on the ground. "You killed the woman I love. Prepare to die."


	22. Chapter 22

"Ah love," said Yuniro, staring back at the belligerent Rhenton, "such a strange thing. But I assure you, she is not dead, merely…indisposed."

Rhenton's eyes were hard as ever as he reached behind his back and pulled out a pair of Cuartan wrist blades. Yuniro laughed.

"Do honestly think you can defeat me?" he asked. "I took down three Toa in no time at all. What can you possibly do?"

Rhenton said nothing as he took a fighting stance.

"I'll give you one last chance," said Yuniro. "Leave now."

"I'm not leaving until you are dead," replied Rhenton.

Yuniro sighed as he drew his daggers.

"So be it," he said.

They stood staring at each other for a moment, then lunged at each other. Yuniro aimed for Rhenton's midsection, but Rhenton managed to flip over the king's arm and slice across his chest. Yuniro gasped as he jumped away, feeling the wound. Bracing himself, the king launched himself into a spin attack, whirling his body in circles and forming a whirlwind of blades. Rhenton leapt to the side, performing a handstand as he dodged. Yuniro stopped and hurled one of his daggers at Rhenton. Still upside down at this point, Rhenton saw the dagger coming and shifted his weight, the dagger passing inches from his right leg. He pushed off with his hand and landed on his feet.

Brandishing his blades, he rushed at the king. Seeing the blades aimed at his head, Yuniro bent backwards, one of the blades passing just above his chest. He failed to notice Rhenton's other blade until it was jammed into his side. The pain shooting through his body caused the king to cry out in pain and, upon losing his focus, topple backwards onto the ground. Rhenton aimed his foot at the fallen leader's head, but Yuniro rolled to the side, Rhenton's foot striking empty dirt.

The sudden imbalance caused Rhenton to stumble, and Yuniro hurled another dagger straight at Rhenton's chest. Rhenton looked up and saw the dagger coming. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he leaned to the side. He reached out and grabbed the flying blade, his fingers clasping the wooden handle. Allowing the dagger's inertia to carry through, he turned on his heel and hurled the dagger back at Yuniro. The king stood shocked as he saw Rhenton snatch his blade out of the air, and those few seconds of shock were enough to allow the dagger to lodge itself in his chest.

Yuniro gasped as he fell forward onto his knees. He looked up at the other Menirun.

"But…how…" he stammered, an abject look of confusion on his face.

"I achieved photographic reflexes," said Rhenton, approaching the fallen king, "just like you. But you were fighting for your own personal benefit. I was fighting for what was right. And dat is what gave me de power to win."

With that, Rhenton struck Yuniro across the face, knocking him unconscious. The king collapsed to the ground, sending up a small cloud of dust. Rhenton stood there, staring down at the once proud ruler.

"He was prepared for everyt'ing," he thought, "except for de power dat comes wit' fighting for oders."

A moan from behind him caught his attention. He turned to see Negurin stirring as she lay on the ground. He rushed to her side and knelt beside her, putting away his weapons as he did so.

"Negurin?" he said, hoping she could hear him. "Can you hear me?"

"Rh..Rhenton?" she murmured. "Is dat you?"

"Yes," he said, his eyes beginning to moisten, "yes, it is."

"Wh…what's going on?"

The female Menirun managed to sit up, holding her head.

"You were kidnapped by King Yuniro, remember?"

Negurin nodded.

"How did you find me?"

"I can explain later," he said. "Right now, we need to get you and de Toa out of here."

Negurin's head shot up, a look of surprise written on her face. She turned to see the three Toa sprawled out by the dying fire. She shook her head and pushed herself up.

"I t'ink I can help carry dem," she said.

She suddenly began to teeter. Rhenton jumped up and placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Negurin took a deep breath and nodded. Rhenton smiled and moved to pull Tsonclad to his feet. He noticed the headlight attached to Tivari's mask and attached it to the side of his head. By now, enough people had made the trek to this point that the trail was completely obvious. Negurin managed to pull Lestra up, and the pair made their way to the gate. As they walked, Rhenton's thoughts were turned towards the Menirun beside him.

"I can't believe I disappeared like that," he thought. "I don't know what I was thinking. No, no, I do know what I was thinking, but…I suppose it could have been handled better."

They finally reached the gate and stepped through back into the world of light. Rhenton laid Tsonclad on the grass and turned to see Negurin stumble under the weight of the Toa of Lighting she carried. Rhenton caught them and guided them to the ground.

"Negurin," he sighed, "look, stay here. You're still weak. I'll get Tivari and then go back for Yuniro."

The still groggy Negurin was only too happy to oblige. As Rhenton disappeared back into the darkness, Negurin lay in the sun. She closed her eyes and let the suns' warmth fill her body. So much had happened in the last few days, it felt good to just sit for a moment, even if it was in a semi-stupor. Suddenly, Rhenton came rushing out of the portal, carrying Tivari.

"Negurin! Shut down de portal, quick!" he cried.

Jolted out of her reverie, Negurin stood up and approached the portal. With no warning, a gigantic claw erupted from within the portal, and Negurin stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. The claw attempted to grab a hold of Rhenton, but the Menirun quickly drew his blades and stabbed the giant appendage. A blood curdling screech came from within the portal, and the claw withdrew as quickly as it had come. As soon as the claw vanished into the portal, Negurin jumped to her feet and rushed back to the portal, touching the hand-shaped indentation. The darkness in its center quickly vanished leaving only the sight of trees and plants on the other side. She turned and looked Rhenton.

"What was dat?" she asked.

"I don't know," replied Rhenton. "All I saw was a giant body, glowing eyes, and bunch of huge legs."

He paused, staring back at the portal.

"It got Yuniro," he said.

They both stared at the portal for a moment, before Negurin began to lose her sense of balance again. Rhenton rushed to her side once more.

"Come on," he said, "let's get you back to de healers."


	23. Chapter 23

Koth stood at the edge of the crowd, anxiously waiting for the others to return. Onric had insisted that they would be fine, but Koth could not shake the feeling that something had gone wrong. He then noticed a pair of beings approaching the crowd. As they got closer, recognition dawned on the Toa of Stone.

"Rhenton!" he shouted as he rushed towards them.

He arrived moments later and saw the half-conscious look on the female's face.

"What's wrong with her?" asked the Toa.

"I'll explain later," said Rhenton. "De oder Toa are lying in dat grove back dere. Dey need help."

Koth nodded and rushed back. The pair continued on, until they saw the other Toa rushing towards them. Onric stopped at the pair, as Koth, Taiyu, and Rysavy went on to the grove.

"I've got her," said Onric.

With that, he hoisted the Menirun into his arms and turned towards the crowd. Rhenton followed behind him, deep in his thoughts.

"I need to tell her how I feel," he thought. "I almost lost her, and I'd have never forgiven myself if she had died. But…she seems happy with Tivari. Well…let's get her healed, and den we'll see."

As they came to the crowd, Onric guided them to the healers where Rhenton could see Cedrak bent over an injured Menirun.

"Cedrak!" called Onric.

The Skakdi looked up from his work. As Onric laid her down, Cedrak fired his eyebeams at her. Moments later, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up.

"How do you feel now?" asked Rhenton, kneeling beside her.

"Much better," she said, smiling back at him.

"Negurin, I – dere's somet'ing I need to tell you," he said, looking away from her. "I…know you're in love with Tivari, but I have to tell you dat I've had…feelings for you…for a long time. I just can't imagine what I would have done if you had died back dere."

He closed his eyes, waiting for her reply. He was surprised to hear her chuckling.

"I know Rhenton," she said. "Tsonclad told me."

"He – he did?" he asked timorously.

"Yes, and dere's somet'ing I should tell you. Tivari, he's, well, what you saw between us was just two inventors gushing over de finer aspects of trans-dimensional travel. He's just a friend, a good friend, but not'ing more."

She saw his face light up a bit as he turned towards her.

"And…what about me?" he asked, hope in his voice.

Negurin sighed.

"Rhenton, you've been a good friend to me for a long time. I – I can't say dat I love you, but…"

His head began to droop as he braced for rejection. He was surprised to feel a hand touch his face and turn his head. He opened his eyes to see Negurin staring back at him. Before he could figure out what was going on, Negurin had kissed him on the cheek.

"Right now, I can't say dat I love you," she said, "but I'm willing to try."

Negurin wrapped her arms around Rhenton, the male returning the hug. A tear slid down his cheek. He knew this was a start. Not quite what he had hoped for, but for now, it was enough. Suddenly, Negurin shoved him backwards, and he toppled over onto the ground.

"Rhenton!" she exclaimed, a cheerful smile playing over her face, "where were you de last few days? We were worried sick!"

"Well, I –"

He stopped when he noticed the others standing around them, staring down at the couple.

"Yeah, Rhenton, where were you?" asked Onric.

The Menirun chuckled.

"Somet'ing tells me dat we all have some tales to tell," said Rhenton. "What do you say we find someplace where we can sit and enjoy it?"

The group of nearly a dozen made their way towards the tents that were being set up. After the battle, the resistance has teleported in supplies to give the troops a chance to rest before making the trek back to Diagirr.

"Why can't they just open a portal to the MERAH and take us all there?" asked Koth, as they entered the newly erected mess tent.

"Dat portal only works one way," said Negurin. "Dat is why we normally use de smaller gates. Dey are stationary, but work in bot' directions."

"I see," replied the Toa of Stone.

He glanced around and noticed that there was no table large enough to accommodate them. Cracking a smile, he reached out towards an empty space and caused a flat round boulder to rise from the ground. The others jumped at the sudden noise, but then saw his purpose. Grabbing a dozen chairs from nearby tables, they situated themselves around the makeshift table. After retrieving their meals from the buffet line, they sat down and, after a few last introductions were done, turned expectantly towards Rhenton.

"Why not you start?" said Cedrak, a decidedly un-Skakdi-like smile on his face.

"Alright, if you insist," replied the Menirun. "De day I left de MERAH, I wasn't t'inking clearly. I t'ought, well, I t'ought Negurin had fallen in love wit' Tivari."

"Really?" asked the Toa of Gravity, concern and confusion on his voice. "Well, I'm…sorry about that."

"No hard feelings, friend," Rhenton replied. "Anyway, I made my way back to my safe house and went home. I sat for a long time, just thinking."

"You had us worried, Rheton," said Lestra. "We were afraid that you'd done something…irrational."

"What? You t'ought that because I had become depressed dat I'd kill myself? What is dis, a romantic tragedy?"

The others chuckled.

"Now if you all would let me finish, please," Rhenton chuckled. "I sat for a long time and den realized dat I was wasting time. So, I set about finishing my training. Negurin already knows dis, but I have been training to gain full reflex mastery for several years. De final step to photographic reflexes is done by dropping into meditation and removing any inhibitors."

"Sound kinda simple," said Rysavy, as he stuffed half a Madu fruit into his mouth.

"Believe me, it is not," replied Rhenton. "Dat is why it took me so long to return. I was in a trance for almost two days straight."

The others' reactions ranged from raised eyebrows to audible gasps.

"That's…quite a feat," said Onric.

"Indeed, well, after I came out of my meditation, I found I'd finally done it. I could remember every fighting move I'd ever seen and could feel exactly how to do dem. I quickly ran back to de MERAH and was able to jump into de last battalion before de portal was shut off. I fought in de battle and den later came looking for all of you. I was just coming up to de main group when I saw de t'ree of you heading out. I followed you, trying to catch you and den found de portal. Somet'ing told me you might be in trouble, so I followed your tracks and found you all wit' Yuniro."

"By the way," said Taiyu, "whatever happened to him?"

Rhenton's face turned grave.

"He was eaten by some giant monster dat lives in de darkness," he said. "Dere was not'ing I could do to stop it."

The others sat in silence for a few moments.

"A pity," said Tsonclad, "but he got what was comin' tae him."

"I suppose so," said Nianga.

The Naxan then turned to Cedrak.

"Why not you tell us how you managed to teleport into the middle of a battlefield with an army and a half alongside you?" she asked.

Cedrak laughed.

"Well, it was mostly Taiyu's idea," he replied. "When we got the Vorzhic antidote you guys sent us, Taiyu got the idea to find any others who could help us. After discovering Rysavy was the prison warden, he found the substance that had been used and managed to get a whole bunch more. Then, Koth and Rysavy found out who all had been imprisoned on rebellion charges. We distributed the antidote throughout the prison, and Koth weakened their walls just enough that they could escape."

"Yeah, I was up all night two nights in a row doing that," said Koth, from where he lay sagged down onto the table. "It's finally decided to catch up with me."

"You had an adrenaline rush to keep you going," said Negurin. "I guess it is fading."

Cedrak chuckled as he continued.

"Along the way, we found three Etellor in the cells," he said.

"Etellor?" asked Tsonclad.

"You know – giant, lanky, big ears, huge teeth, and the inherent power to teleport?" replied Koth.

"Oh aye," said the ice Toa. "Really, three? Aren't they a rather reclusive species?"

"They are," replied Cedrak, "but apparently, these three had been arrested after accidentally teleporting into one of Yuniro's factories. Upon finding them, they agreed to transport us to wherever we need to go. When we saw the portal open in Diagirr, Koth shook the prison hard enough to knock down the weakened portions, and we and the prisoners swarmed the jail…"


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's note: I don't do these often, but I think it's worth mentioning that the giant monster in the previous chapter was the Zivon. It occurred to me that some non-Bionicle fans and newer fans might not know about it, so just FYI. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter.**

* * *

Cedrak watched as the ball of yellow-hued energy grew in Koth's hands. The orb grew and grew until its light filled their prison cell. Koth hefted the sphere above his head.

"Everybody hit the deck!" he cried.

Taiyu and Cedrak threw themselves to the floor as Koth slammed the elemental energy into the wall. A hole twice the size of the orb exploded out of the wall, and the Toa and Skakdi could feel the stone prison building shaking all the way to its foundations. From every direction, the sound of crumbling stone could be heard. Within moments, the shaking had stopped, and prisoners from all over the prison were rushing through the holes in their cell walls.

Koth, Taiyu, and Cedrak rushed to join them. All the prisoners were streaming towards the courtyard, heading for the now shattered windows. As Cedrak leapt down the outside of the building, he saw hundreds of now-freed prisoners vaulting from the walls. Menirun leapt down with amazing dexterity, at least two dozen Aviena took flight, carrying down other beings. He looked up and saw Koth create a ramp of stone from the window he came from, and a short distance away, another Toa of Ice had formed an ice slide.

Finally, a large group had gathered in the courtyard, and more were still coming. Surprisingly, there was no sign of any hindrance to their progress. That is, until a dozen squads of guards burst from a ground floor. Armed with Vorzhic venom launchers, the prison guards lined up in rows, aiming their launchers at the congregated prisoners. From behind the rows of guards, a voice shouted out.

"Do not move!" it cried. "Do not resist, and you will not be harmed."

Moments later, the speaker emerged from overtop the guards. Jumping over on a gust of wind, Rysavy landed in front of his soldiers and turned to face them.

"Like I said, fellas, don't move. Don't resist, and you won't be harmed."

With that, he leapt backwards on another gust and landed at the front of the rebels. The guards' faces turned from hardened to utterly confused, until one of the officers shouted.

"He's a traitor! Fire at will!"

Instants later, globs of venom flew through the air, striking thick amongst the prisoners. The crowd just stood still for a few moments, as the liquid projectiles splashed against them. Finally, the volley of venom had stopped. Rysavy stared back at his former comrades and smiled.

Spreading his arms wide, a veritable hurricane erupted from his body, blowing away the venom that clung to his companions, and moments later, the prisoners rushed their former guards. The strength of Cuartan and Steltians tore into the Menirun ranks, as Aviena glided in and hauled the guards high into the air. The few Toa who had been held captive lent their energies with fervor, elemental blasts crisscrossing the air around them. Shivri, Vonatii, and Aquaton fought with all the strength they could muster, and the many Menirun who had been held captive fought with a vengeance.

Rysavy smirked as he blew away another guard. None of this would have been possible had it not been for the mysterious antidote. After finding his brother's supply of venom had been replaced with the antidote, he had tried to determine just what the substance was made of. However, he had had no need as, not a day later, an even larger portion of the venom supply had been replaced. After staring in wonderment at the rebels' resourcefulness, he had distributed it to all the beings on the "rebel list," and drunk the concoction himself. Even now, he could feel its effects on him. The venom that had gotten on his organic flesh had tingled at the surface, but he had felt something pushing it back.

Cedrak, having no weapon of his own, shot waves of force from his hands, knocking over guards as he went. He saw something brown rushing back and forth and saw Koth, swinging a pair of shields made of stone. He chuckled. Koth was always one to improvise.

It was not long before the prison's guards had been subdued. Their unconscious forms, or lifeless forms as the case may be, were dragged away from the center of the courtyard.

"When are the big guys getting here?" asked Rysavy. "I know that at least _someone _called for back-up, and we won't like it when it gets here."

Suddenly, a large flash appeared in the center of the courtyard, and three large, lanky Etellor were standing amongst a large pile of weaponry. The largest of the three approached Rysavy, who was standing near the wall that surrounded the prison.

"We must apologize for our tardiness," he said. "With so many things to retrieve, we had a difficult time finding the weapons of all those who required them."

"You did just fine, Duorin," said Rysavy. "I'm sure I speak for us all when I say we are in your debt."

"There is something else we must tell you," said the Etellor. "The rebels and the loyalists are no longer where they were."

"Can you find them?" asked Cedrak.

"We can, but we must know something or someone to search for."

The Toa and Skakdi looked at each other in concern. There was no way of knowing who had been there. Further enquiry was cut short as a dozen Menirun dropped from the wall and landed not two feet away from them. Cedrak jumped back, ready to fight, but before anything could happen, one of the new arrivals spoke.

"Are you de Skakdi Cedrak?" he asked.

"Um, yes," replied the white-armored being.

"I am Commander Dendric, and we have been sent by General Yasec to rescue you and your companions," said the Menirun. "However, it seems our services are no longer needed."

"Actually, you may be of great help," said Rysavy. "Did you come with the group that arrived via the portal?"

"We did," replied the Menirun.

"Then, we require your assistance," said Duoric. "We have agreed to transport these prisoners to wherever they need to go, but we cannot take them there without knowing of something to find."

"I see. Well, I can certainly help with dat. Troops, regroup near de escaped prisoners over dere. Dey will be joining us as we reconnect wit' de main force."

The other Menirun moved over to where the prisoners were still recovering their weapons. Duoric placed his hands on the sides of the Dendric's head, and after a few moments, they drew apart.

"We will soon be ready for transport," said the Etellor. "Make sure all is ready, for we will not be returning."

Dendric nodded as the Etellor made his way back to his companions.

"Dis will be an interesting report," he said, as the Cedrak and Rysavy followed the Menirun.

"I have no doubt it will be," said Cedrak.

"And so, we all gathered together, and the three Etellor ringed us with their energy and homed in on one of the commander's friends, landing us right in the middle of the battle."

Cedark finished his tale and sat back with a sigh. The others sat in silence for a moment as they marveled at the Skakdi's story.

"I've got to find out what dat Vorzhic antidote was," said Negurin. "It certainly was good fortune dat de supply got put in dat day."

"Things like that seem to happen a lot," said Onric. "I guess it's just part of being a hero."

The group of friends continued talking well through the day, eventually finding their way to one of the makeshift barracks to sleep. It was not until the next day that the rebel army began their trek back to Diagirr. Onric expressed his concern about walking straight into the capital city, but Yasec assured him that everything was under control.

"Dere is no need to worry," he said. "Word spreads fast in de Menirun Republic, and accurately I might add. And trust me, wit'out dere leader, Yuniro's generals are useless. De were little more den puppets to begin wit'."

As it turned out, Yasec was right. When the rebel army arrived, crowds came out of the city to welcome them. The soldiers were paraded down the streets and hailed as heroes. The procession eventually ended as various garrisons branched off in order to discreetly return to the MERAH.

Later that night, Yasec called the Toa to his private chambers. As they entered, he motioned for them to sit.

"My friends," he said, "you have been of great help to our cause and have helped win a major victory for de resistance' cause. Dis is, however, not de end by any means. A new leader will have to chosen for our nation, and dere are any number of legal and political ramifications dat will result from all dis. Despite all dis, I do not feel right keeping you from your homes any longer. You have been more help den I could ever have imagined, and you have earned de right to a long respite."

Seeing that the Menirun had finished, Onric stood.

"I think that I can speak for my brothers, and for our Turaga, when I say that we have you to thank as well," he said. "Thanks to you and your troops, our home is safe again. We will never forget our time here, or the friends we've made."

A knock came at the door, and Negurin's head appeared around it.

"De portal is almost ready, Yasec," she said.

"T'ank you, Negurin," said the general. "Well, my friends, I t'ink de time has come."

Wordlessly, the Toa rose from their seats and left Yasec's chambers. In the center of the main room, the great portal could be seen, whirling with energy, and the Toa could see Rhenton and Negurin standing to one side. The Toa Tedra moved towards the portal and looked back at their friends.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," said Cedrak.

"We will never forget you," said Rhenton, as he held onto Negurin's hand.

"Aye, and neither will we," said Tsonclad.

"Well, if you're ever in the neighborhood," said Lestra. "Don't hesitate to stop by."

"Wait!"

A cry came from one side of the chamber. Everyone turned to see Rysavy sprint through a door and come to a stop by the Toa Tedra.

"You weren't going to leave without me, were you?" he asked.

Koth swiftly wrapped an arm around his brother's neck and rubbed his knuckles over his skull.

"You're not getting out of our sight for at least a week, pal," he said.

Onric moved towards Tsonclad and extended his fist. The Toa of Ice rolled his eyes and pulled Onric into an ash bear hug.

"Ah sure will miss ye, Onric," he said.

Onric pulled away and thumped him on the shoulder.

"Likewise," he replied.

Tivari approached the Menriun pair and shook Rhenton's hand.

"Be good to her," he said.

"I'll do my best, Tivari," replied Rhenton, "and I hope we meet again."

"As do I," replied Negurin.

Lestra approached Nianga and gripped her in a hug.

"I hope everything turns out with you and Taiyu," she said.

"I hope so, too," replied the Naxan.

Cedrak came up to Taiyu, with a similar concern for the Toa.

"I hope it works out for you," said the Skakdi.

Taiyu nodded as Cedrak turned back towards the portal. The Toa Tedra approached the portal and stopped to wave once more to their friends. The other beings waved in return as they watched them all enter the circle of whirling energy. As the last Toa stepped through, Yasec turned to Negurin.

"Negurin," Yasec called the female's attention to the control panel, "set coordinates for the village of Algiren. Let's get de rest of dese beings on deir way."


	25. Epilogue

Turaga Uren stood in the middle of Tedra-Koro's square, looking up at the sky as he had very often over the past few days. Though he tried to assure himself that the Toa Tedra were alright, he still could not suppress the worry that flittered in his heart. He sighed as he turned back towards his home.

"A watched Kanohi never hardens," he muttered. "Then why is it so hard to resist staring?"

The sound of an airship caught his attention and whirled around to see a familiar sight cresting the island's mountain. The _Kleria _was coming in quickly, and the Turaga's eyes lit up with delight. He set his feet towards the harbor, where the island's landing strip lay, and prayed to the Great Spirit that the Toa had come to no harm. By the time Uren had reached the harbor, a veritable crowd of Matoran had already gathered there. As he made his way through the crowd, he watched as the walkway was lowered from the side of the ship. Onric was the first to emerge from the ship's interior, followed shortly by Koth and Tivari. Uren looked on in earnest and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lestra and Cedrak descend together.

"Turaga, we're back," said Onric, as he approached his elder, "and we've brought back our brothers."

Uren nodded in approval, before a confused look crossed his face.

"Brothers?" he asked.

Onric motioned to the craft, and a new figure appeared in the doorway. A collective gasp ran through the crowd as they all recognized the Toa of Air standing there. The Toa descended the ramp and approached the Turaga. He bowed before his elder, before speaking.

"Turaga Uren, it's good to see you again," he said.

A smile grew across the Turaga of Stone's face as he returned the bow.

"The same to you, Rysavy," he said. "Come, we must plan a celebration, for the return of, not one, but two of our heroes."

A cheer rose from the crowd as they made thronged back to the town. Rysavy looked up at the sky and said a silent thanks to the Great Spirit.

"It's good to be home," he thought.

He looked up and saw a line of clouds coming in from the north. He felt through the wind and smiled as he recognized what they were.

"Snow clouds!" he thought. "Oh, Lestra's going to be ecstatic. She loves snow."

* * *

The stars shone down on the village of Algiren as Nianga stared out the window of her temporary home, gazing at the night sky. She had come with Taiyu and Tsonclad to their old village, slipping through the MERAH's portal and landing on the snowy mountainside. Negurin's directing had been good, too good in fact, as the portal had opened just outside the village gates, and the three of them had been met by the sight of four battle-ready Toa. However, upon seeing their old comrades, the Toa had put away their weapons and welcomed the two Toa of Ice with open arms. She had quickly been introduced to the others, Zonerri, Pralen, Nerin, and Vehya, and it was not long before they were all sitting in the village's dining hall, telling tales of the past eighty years. Nianga chuckled.

"Our adventure began telling tales around a table," she thought, "and so it has ended."

The thoughts of adventure turned her thoughts to Taiyu, and a pensive frown crossed her face. It had been three days since the battle with Yuniro's troops, and neither she nor the Toa of Ice had brought up what had happened that night.

"And so," she thought, "I sit here awake again, wondering if he said what I thought he said, or if it was just my mind telling me what it needed to, to keep me awake."

She lowered her head onto her crossed arms and sighed.

"Now my own head is playing mind-games with me."

The sound of footsteps caught her sensitive ears. She looked up to see the back of a Toa rounding a corner just down the street. She paused for a moment before stepping out into the cold. She followed the figure, until she found him sitting by one of the village's many fountains.

"Hello, Nianga," he said, without turning around.

"Hi Taiyu," she replied, sitting next to him, "what brings you out here?"

"Tsonclad and Zonerri have had a bit too much Madu rum," he replied, "and they're getting rowdy. Neither of them have the best singing voices."

Nianga chuckled, imagining the pair of them. A moment of silence passed before she spoke again.

"Taiyu, during the battle, when I was wounded…did you say what I thought you said?"

He turned his face towards her.

"What did you think I said?" he asked.

"That…that you loved me."

Taiyu sat silent for a moment, Nianga growing more nervous with each passing second. Finally, he lowered his head, and spoke.

"I did, Nianga," he said. "I don't think I knew it at first, but during those weeks aboard Devichon's ship, you stirred something in my soul. Only when I was taken away did I realize what it was. I love you, Nianga. I…I only hope you feel the same way."

Nianga sat still for a moment, tapping her claws together.

"Taiyu, I –" she stammered. "I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to hear that, but now that I have…I can't help thinking we're making a mistake."

Taiyu's head shot up, and he looked at her with a very puzzled, very fearful look on his face

"What do you mean?" he asked.

With that, Nianga launched into her story, telling him about her past, leaving her island in shame, her life on Zora Nui, first as a dancer, then as a thief.

"I…know what you must think of me now," she said.

Her eyes began to water as she continued.

"Not only was I a criminal and a miscreant, but I'm everything you're not. You stand tall and strong; I…look like I crawled out of a cave. I don't know how you could ever love someone like me."

"Nianga," said Taiyu, "look at me."

The Naxan turned towards the Ice Toa, and he took her hand. As he did so, she felt a shiver run down her arm.

"Nianga, I've never seen a Naxan. Before I lost my sight, I'd never left my home village. I may not have functioning eyes, but it seems sometimes I see things that others miss. And do you know what I see here? I see a woman, strong and full of courage. Someone who was thrown the worst the world had and strode through it with her head held high. And I don't care if you think you're a criminal, or ugly, or anything like that. I fell in love with you without the slightest idea of how you looked or of your past. It never mattered to me, and it still doesn't. No matter what happens, the only that matters," he placed his hand over her heartlight, "is right here, and that will always be beautiful to me."

With that, Nianga, who had been on the verge of tears, was pushed over the edge. As the tears fell from her eyes, Taiyu gathered her up in his arms. She clung to him, as though she was drowning at sea and he was a piece of driftwood. And though her tears continued to fall, Taiyu placed a hand beneath her chin and raised her lips to his own. As they shared their first kiss, sitting beneath the stars, Nianga felt a warmth growing inside her that she had never known before. It filled her through and through, and she never wanted it to end.

At last, they broke apart, but their foreheads remained pressed together, their breath turning to mist in the space between them. Nianga opened her eyes and stared at the Toa she loved, and though his eyes were sightless, they spoke of a love deeper than she could ever have dreamed of.

"Taiyu," she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied.

* * *

"Rhenton?" called a perplexed Negurin, as she stood inside Rhenton's shop, having just come from the MERAH. "Where are you?"

"Up here!" came a call from above her.

She then noticed the ladder that leaned on the back wall of Rhenton's office and led to a hole in the ceiling. Climbing up the ladder, she emerged onto the roof of the building. She looked around to see Rhenton laying on his back, staring at the sky.

"Stargading?" she asked, laying down beside him.

"Indeed," he said, "it's much prettier in de country, but it is still quite lovely."

He turned towards her.

"Much like you," he said, smiling.

"I'm prettier in de country, den in de city?" she asked, a look of mock confusion on her face.

Rhenton laughed as he moved to wrap an arm around her shoulder. He paused.

"Do you mind?" he asked.

Negurin smiled and pulled his arm around her, resting her head on his upper arm. The pair of them turned their attention skyward again. Negurin sighed.

"Well, I looked into de mysterious venom antidote," she said.

"And?"

"Well, dat's what's so strange. No one seems to know anyt'ing about it. Not de infiltrator squad, not de scientists, nobody."

Rhenton turned to look at her.

"Den where did it come from?" he asked.

* * *

Somewhere in a port city of Jhameika, a shrouded figure could be seen flitting though the docks. By this time of night, anyone not required to be awake was sound asleep. The figure stopped at a certain tavern. Testing the door, he found it unlocked and swiftly went inside. After shutting the door, he turned around and saw a single figure sitting at a table, a single lightstone casting eerie shadows about the room. The figure at the table motioned to the newcomer. When the being at the table spoke, his voice sounded unspeakable ancient and full of wisdom, yet there was a subtle edge to his voice that made the newcomer hesitate.

"Come, come, don't be shy," he said. "I can assure you, you are in no danger."

The newcomer came and sat down, throwing his hood from his head as he went.

"You do remember our bargain, don't you?" he asked.

The other figure chuckled.

"Of course, Yasec, how could I forget?" he said.

The Menirun reached into his pouch and removed a small package. He pushed it across the table towards the other being, who promptly picked it up. Untying the string that bound the cloth around it, he was greeted by a telltale glow, that lit up his face and the rest of the room.

"And now, for the second part," he said, rising from the table.

Before the figure could react, Yasec had leapt from his seat and pulled something else from his pouch. He held it up for the figure to see.

"Dis is a bomb," said Yasec, "an energy bomb dat targets antidermis. Try anyt'ing funny, Makuta, and you're not'ing but a puff of smoke."

A laugh leapt from the Makuta's throat.

"And what purpose would I have in invading your mind?" he asked. "I may have no qualms about kidnapping innocent bystanders or leveling entire islands, but I never break my promises, Yasec. You should know that."

The Makuta closed his eyes, and Yasec could feel a presence enter his mind. He kept close tabs on it, making sure it only saw what it needed to see. At last, the presence removed itself, and the Makuta opened his eyes.

"Thank you, Yasec, you've been a marvelous help."

With that, he moved to the door and opened it for the rebel leader. The Menirun moved towards the door, pausing at the entrance for a moment.

"If you don't mind my asking, just what is so special about dose Toa dat you had to engineer dat whole prison escape?" he asked. "Surely dere are oder, more willing Toa who would do whatever you wished."

The Makuta smiled.

"You of all people should know that you should never judge a disk by its decoration," he said, "and you should also know that there are some things best left unsaid. Farewell…King."

With that, the rebel leader bowed to the Makuta and left the tavern. As the Makuta turned and made his way back to his own room, he smiled.

"Oh yes, Yasec, you will be king, and you will get to rule this pitiful land, for a while. But with one more Crystal of Catastrophe in my possession, I am this much closer to fulfilling my part of the Plan. The name of Makuta Oriles will be forever renowned as the greatest mind to ever grace the Makuta race. We will rule this world, and when you see what we will do, you will have only yourself to blame."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, this is the end, and I just want to thank TasumiDreamer and InTheLight1396 who have reviewed almost every chapter.**

**As for what you'll be seeing from me in the future, I've completed the next story arc in my Road Rovers fic, _Neo Rovers, _as well as a series of short Kingdom Hearts stories. These will going up over the course of the summer, while I work on rewriting my first big story, _Scourge of the Visorak, _and finishing a sequel to it. I plan to have them both done by August or September, but nothing is set in stone.**

**So, thank you all for reading my story. Any and all reviews are welcomed.**


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